


Depths of Depravity

by SleepySij



Series: Pain is a Lesson [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Abuse, Blood and Gore, Canonical Character Death, Child Death, Demons, Eggs Benedict is Michael Afton, F/F, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Funtime Freddy is a sad boi, Funtime Freddy swears a lot, Ghosts in the Machine, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Just at robots though, M/M, Michael is a genius, Michael is tired, Michael swears a lot, Mike Schmidt is Michael Afton, Murder, Occult, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Paranormal As Fuck, References to Depression, Things bout to change up in here, heavy au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2020-09-29 16:30:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20439071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepySij/pseuds/SleepySij
Summary: For Michael Afton, nightmares are more than dreams.On his younger brother's birthday, Michael committed a sin. One that left him scars that carved his life into chaos. Two years later, to protect those left, he's forced to face his past, along with the person that he hurt so much, Michael needs to learn the truth, and save those who also have been hurt by his family.What evils lie behind the shadow of his father?Act 1: The Afton Family: Chapter's 1-7Act 2: Shadows Of The Past: Chapter 8-???





	1. Sins of Father and Son

**Author's Note:**

> (Update! I now have a Ko-Fi if you'd like to support my works! Any amount helps, and I hope you all enjoy as I continue my endeavors! My page is located athttps://ko-fi.com/sleepysij )
> 
> Hello and welcome to Book 1 of Pain is a Lesson. This story is... well it's been bleeding me dry lately. It started as a weird idea and blew up before I could even process it. To note I will have a few Disclaimers in Chapter 1, and I will not repeat myself because I know I will forget sometimes, so I might as well put it all in Chapter 1. I haven't written in half a year so I'm pretty rusty. I hope to get better as I go on. 
> 
> (DISCLAIMERS!)
> 
> I do not Own Five Nights at Freddy's, Scott Cawthon is a wonderful man and I can't thank him enough for the games, books, and story he's given me. 
> 
> This story has a lot of dark themes, eventual Gore, Bloodshed, and Depressive themes such as self-harm. Please note if you are dealing with these emotions that you should NEVER inflict harm upon yourself. Please, do the right thing and call a local hotline. People do care and will miss you if you destroy yourself. 
> 
> This story is centered around the Murders of Children and Adults alike, I ask anyone who doesn't handle imagery to be wary, but if you proceed to read, please be careful. 
> 
> Finally, I thank anyone who is willing to give this story, and all future books of it, a read, and hope they enjoy it. I currently do not have a beta reader, so if you see any mistakes please be sure to let me know.

**The Summer of '83 | Hurricane, Utah | Gabriel Afton's Birthday**

"The Birthday Boy wants a KISS!" I laughed as we pulled Gabriel towards Fredbear. The robot was singing, but I didn't care. No one was there, no one was watching. Five 18-year-olds against a newly 7-year-old? he didn't stand a chance. He was crying, and he had peed his pants as we pulled him towards the thing. It was just a dumb hunk of metal and plastic, it wasn't going to hurt him, just scare him. 

We pulled him up and moved his head towards the bear. "NO! Nononononono... PLEASE!" He was struggling, trying to move every part of his body. His head swung as Fredbear's mouth opened, right into its mouth. The mouth closed...

_CRACK_

The sound of bone cracking became deafening. Gabriel wasn't moving.

"Gabe?" I asked. red was pooling from Fredbear's mouth, it was splattered everywhere... I let go, I noticed the others had too. Gabriel was still there, hanging by Fredbear's jaw. I looked down, there was blood everywhere. My hands were shaking as they were covered a pure red.

Everything snapped into place...

I screamed.

  


I hadn't known that Fredbear's jaw was strong. I had expected the mouth to just stop and we would laugh... It was only supposed to be a joke...

No one was laughing now.

"I don't know if you can hear me... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." The IV dripped, His whole head was bandaged, hell, He was barely even breathing. Dad was staring at him, but I didn't see tears. He had been silent the entire time Gabriel was in surgery. I was a mess, why wasn't he?

Why wasn't he crying?! MY BROTHER IS BRAINDEAD BECAUSE OF ME! I let my leg's buckle and just sat there, crying. I felt a hand grab my arm and pulled me across the floor. Dad had grabbed me and pulled me to my feet, hard. I stumbled, but I didn't have the will to fight back. 

"Get up, Micheal." Dad said. His tone was cold and dark, "It's time to go." 

... Did he truly not care about his children? He pulled me towards the elevator, it's doors opened and he threw me inside. I barely managed to catch myself on the railing, the cold metal did nothing to comfort the mess that was my head. I couldn't stop seeing him... the blood... The bite.

No, there was definitely no one laughing now.

The Elevator ride was quiet. "Elizabeth and now Gabriel. I guess it's not to be surprised. My children really have a unique ability to get into trouble." The silence was broken as he muttered to himself. There was more being said under his breath, and I only caught one more word...

Remant.

What was that supposed to mean?

"You disappoint me, Micheal, I knew you were giving him a hard time, but this was sloppy." What? He knew... and he never stopped me? My brain stalled as something started to slot into place.

"What?" My voice betrayed me...

"You did it in broad daylight, Micheal, if someone had seen you and your friends, you'd all be in jail right now. As it stands, it's an accident and nothing more, do you hear me?" He grabbed me by the throat, "DO YOU HEAR ME?"

He really didn't care about anything... did he? 

"Micheal William Afton, Do. You. Hear. Me?" He stressed as he began putting pressure. 

"... Yes, father." The words were quiet, he hadn't pressed, but they were words I didn't want to say.

"Now let's get into the car, and deal with your punishment." He said.

Those words were cold, hollow. Like he was just going through the motions without the emotion to it. There was a ding as the elevator doors opened, and People streamed in as he pulled me out. They were blind to the monster that gripped my arm... and to the monster I had also become... the feeling was like ice in my veins.

  


> _ Accident at Fredbear's Family Diner! Child in Coma! _

The next day the news was everywhere. It wasn't even Fredbear's fault, He was just a stupid robot... I did this. I had saught to destroy everything about Gabriel because of dad's neglect. What was wrong with me? I rubbed my arm as I watched the bruising. 

"Pain is a lesson." Dad had said that when he was done. It hurt, but I deserved it for what I did. Everything was numb now, at least... I knew this wasn't right. Dad had never done this before to us... Elizabeth was always his favorite, even after she disappeared at her friend's birthday party. He stopped caring after that happened, and that began the torment upon my own brother, for something he didn't even do. And now I knew he was a monster, It was bitter.

I've become a monster.

"_**You're not a Monster Mikey.**_" 

My head jerked up as I looked around. That had been... Gabriel's Voice. I put a hand to my mouth as my body shuddered. The tears burned, and I couldn't stop shaking. 

_SQUEAK_

"What the fuck?!" I fell off the bed. Sitting on the bed was Goldie. The eyes that usually were white with blue irises were black with white dots, "How did... You were with Gabe, Goldie." I picked up the stuffed animal and walked out of the room. The house was dark,I guess I had been held up in my room all afternoon...

I walked passed the Grandfather clock in the living room, it was something Dad and I had fixed together when I was young. Before he became this... thing. Before Mom died, before Lizzy disappeared. Dad owned his own company, Afton Robotics, He dealt with engineering on a daily basis and I was born with his smarts, I guess. He'd been teaching me my whole life, up till he stopped caring. It had been the happiest days of my life, now here I am.

I walked into Gabe's room. It was at the center of the house. Originally it was the master bedroom, but after mom died, Dad and Gabe swapped rooms. It had a door outside on two walls, and a giant bed in the center. There was a large closet in the back and a dresser to the side as random toys littered the ground. Sitting on the floor next to the bed were Gabe's Plushies of the Fazbear Crew, there was a Foxy plushie that I beheaded last year, a Bonnie, Freddy, and Chica. I sighed and sat Goldie on the bed. 

"I'm such an idiot... Why did I even do it?" I was talking to a toy, if Jamie saw me like this he'd laugh his ass off. 

Oh... right. Jamie. One of my friends. The four of us were always getting into trouble. Me, Jamie, Dan, and Tony. Yesterday had been a blur that I forgot they were with me when... we hurt Gabe. The memories ended all thought as I found myself on the ground again. I was pathetic. I'd basically killed my brother. He may still be breathing but part of his brain is gone... it's not him anymore.

It was my fault.

I felt something soft hit the top of my head. I jumped to my feet as Goldie slumped on the ground... I looked at the bed and back to it. 

"What in the world..." First Goldie showing up at the house... then it was falling when it should have been in the middle of the bed? I felt the bear, it wasn't a robot or anything, but it did feel like there was an orb where it's stomach was? Was there some kind of marble in it? 

"But nothing that tells me how you got from the middle of the bed to the floor..." 

The eyes moved and looked at me.

"_**HI Mikey!**_"

I screamed.

  


I woke up mid-scream and looked around. I was in an empty bed, Gabe's I guess from the two doors I could see, my stomach was complaining so I got up. It was night, so I turned on the hallway lights. How did I get here? Had I sleepwalked? I thought about the dream I had. Goldie talking in Gabriel's voice... 

"What a weird dream..." A talking plushie, what was with me? There was no way that Goldie somehow got back to the house on its own. 

The Grandfather clock chimed. It was midnight, or 6 am as the clock chimed every six hours. I slipped into the kitchen and turned on the light. No sign that Dad was home since there were no new dishes in the sink. Opening the fridge, there was mostly leftover pizza that Dad brought back from the Diner since he was there a lot. I put a few slices and turned on the microwave. 

Alone with my thoughts, that was what my life was now, Dad would be gone the majority of the time, not like I'd really miss him after everything, but No Gabe playing, Just dead silence. This wasn't a home anymore, just a house with empty rooms without a soul in sight.

It was a grave.

I jumped as the phone rung. I walked over to it, as it was located in the kitchen, and unhooked it from the wall.

"Hello?"

"_Micheal?_" It was Tony's Mom, "_Have you seen Tony? Did he come to your house? I haven't seen him and it's midnight! Did he stay the night? I know he's an adult but I still worry..._" 

" Mrs. Lincon, I haven't heard from anyone since yesterday... Not since the... Incident." 

"_Oh dear where has that boy gone? I'll call Jamie next, Dan hadn't seen him either._"

"Good Luck, Mrs. Lincon." Tony was missing. Tony had been wearing the Chica mask last I saw him before the Ambulance came. He had basically cried himself shitless as the store was closed down for the incident. Jamie had been in the Freddy mask, and Dan in the Bonnie mask...

I was Foxy, and I was suddenly seeing blood splatters again. I covered my eyes until the shaking stopped. There was no more blood... I'd just been imagining it. After splashing my face with some water I grabbed my pizza and walked out of the kitchen to the Living Room. I needed to distract myself so I turned on the TV and swapped it from the News channel. I decided to put on some cartoons, even if it was kiddish, I needed something happy in my life, right now. 

It was bittersweet watching drawn characters doing crazy things...

There was a ringing chime. I woke up and looked at the grandfather clock, it was 6 am. The TV was off, so I assumed Dad had come inside at some point. Though my plate was still on the Coffee table. I cleaned up and took my plate to the kitchen. and Looked out the window. There was no sign of Dad's Car. Did he not come home or did he come home to change and leave? 

I decided to check the Laundry Room. If he had come in I was going crazy, there's no way that dream was real... Goldie COULDN'T be in this house. He was with Gabriel, In the hospital. The Laundry basket Dad used was empty... 

"_**Mikey, Are you okay?**_" I jerked and turned around. Sitting in the doorway was Goldie...

"Gabe?" I asked. 

The Plushie moved it's head. 

"_**It's me!**_"

I jerked off the couch.

The ringing of the clock signaled that it was 6. Was it another dream? I turned off the TV and took my stuff into the Kitchen once more. I was going crazy, Gabe was haunting my dreams. I looked at the Calendar that was sitting on the wall. Gabe's Birthday was circled, something he did because he was so excited. It was summer, so I at least didn't have to worry about Senior year right now. 

I laughed to myself, here I was trying to be glad about no school after what happened. Those laughs became choked sobs as everything came rushing back. I could hear the sounds again, smell the stale pizza, the feeling of something splattering, and the sounds of screaming.

I was the monster now, But monsters don't cry...

The front door opened, "Are you seriously crying again, Micheal?" Dad asked as he walked inside. His purple shirt had dark stains on it, "I told you to not cry." He grabbed my arm and dragged me from the kitchen. He smelled like metal and Pizza. I wanted nothing more than to run away, but his grip was like iron, and my legs wouldn't respond to me. 

I was thrown into my room. "Pathetic. I didn't expect you to act like your brother after your 'accident' yesterday." He said. I felt the fist collide with my face. He swung again and I made no motion to stop him, "Where's that rage that's been collecting since Elizabeth was gone? Has your fire truly gone out?"

It hurt... Fire and needles burned my face. I knew enough of fighting that one of my eyes would swell shut. 

"I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way, Micheal William Afton. Put some ice on that, I'll see you later..." he laughed and closed the door behind him.

The smell of metal was familiar... Blood. 

Why did dad have blood on his shirt? 

"_**Tomorrow is another day, Mikey.**_" 

Goldie was sitting on my dresser. I was definitely awake... 

"_**I forgive you, you know?**_"

"Why? I did something horrible... something no amount of apologies can fix..." It was hard to talk, but Goldie... Gabe gave a small laugh.

"_Did you not hear him? He let you become this, Mikey. He's the real monster I should fear, not you. Goldie told me we were victims of dad. He said there were others and will be more..._"

"Are you dead?"

"_**Yes, I died at midnight.**_" 

"Oh god..." I was a murderer.

"_**You did not kill me. You hurt me and I couldn't wake up, but you did not kill me.**_"

"Who did?" I had a feeling I knew, "Who killed you?"

"_**Dad pulled the plug, but I was already Goldie by then.**_" 

"I'm a monster..." 

"_**Monster's don't cry for what they've done.**_" I watched the plushie stand up on its cotton-filled legs and jump off the Dresser, "_**Though you should know... I'm not just Gabe, Mikey. I'm also Goldie. We became one after he saved me. My soul is here now...**_"

"You're a ghost. I kinda figured that." I was talking to a plushie after all.

"_I'm an Animatronic doll with a soul._" That really didn't help.

I sat on my bed as I felt my face. My nose was trickling a bit, but dad hadn't shattered it. I had a lot to come to terms with. My brother was a plushie Fredbear, My father was a monster, I was a monster, but not a murderer... was dad a murderer? I thought of the stains on his shirt. 

"Oh god... Tony." Pieces began to fall into place. The late-night, the phone call, the blood...

Dad had killed Tony Lincon, One of my best friends...

He might go after the others. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the phone and dialed up Jamie's house. It was early in the morning, but Jamie wakes up early. 

It rang a few times before someone picked up, "_Hello? Smith Residence. Jamie speaking._" It was Jamie, he sounded so horrible but... he was alive for now... Thank god. His parents would already be at work though...

"Jamie, it's Mike... I know you probably don't want to listen to me but we have a problem... Tony went missing and I think my father killed him... Mrs. Lincon told me he was missing and Dad came home with blood on his shirt... Warn Dan, you live next door to him." 

"_What the fuck are you talking about Mike? You've gone crazy, haven't you? Fuck Why did I let you guys talk me into what we did... Gabe's in a coma because of us!_"

"Dad pulled the plug... Gabe's dead." I said.

"_What?_" Jamie took a shakey breath.

"He just left, You have a few minutes if he is coming for you... You need to run. He's going to kill you too. Get Dan, and meet me at our spot." 

"_Okay... Fuck what have you gotten me into Afton!_" He sounded terrified, and I was too, "_What do we do once we meet up? Tony's already gone..._" 

"We get out of town... I'm going see what I can take, We all have a license, but Dan is the only one with a car, he can drive us away from here..." 

"_Were would we go? It's not as if people won't notice us running away. This is a small town..._" 

"Fuck, I don't know! We're out of time and my eye's going to swell shut soon."

"_... He hurt you?_" Jamie's tone changed, "_That bastard punched you bloody._" 

"Don't worry about me right now! Get to the spot and be careful." 

"_There's the abandoned Warehouse that used to be Baby's Pizza World before it closed._" Jamie suggested.

"Fuck it, it's the best we got besides sleeping in the woods. Get going. I'm grabbing stuff." I said.

"Good luck." We both said as I hung up. Gabe was at the doorway as I scooped him up and ran to my room. I grabbed my hiking pack and began to pack it with clothes and supplies. I grabbed my bat and ran into Dad's room. There was a metal lockbox under his bed he always kept, Retirement money, or something. I swung and cracked open the Padlock. I opened the top and breathed in. Inside there was definitely a stack of bills, Birth Certificates, and... an Afton Robotics ID Card, but... 

Inside this lock box was two more things. A large manilla folder and a vial, a vial of red substance. There was a paper label that just said 'remnant - '81'. I grabbed the box itself and put it into my pack. 

"_**So this is it?**_" Goldie was standing on my bed as I returned. I looked away, at the Foxy poster, "_**You're going to escape?**_"

"Yeah... What else can I do? He'll kill them and then... turn me into him." I didn't want to be a monster...

"_**you're 18 at least...**_" Goldie laughed.

"Gabe if I don't he'll destroy everything." I zipped up the bag after I put the Lockbox inside. 

"_**Then don't leave the job unfinished.**_" Goldie picked up something rectangle. It was a box of matches. 

"Gabe... what are you doing?" I eyed the box warily. This could go very bad...

"_**I don't have fingers, Mikey, You'll have to do it.**_" He pushed the matches towards the edge of the bed. 

"You want me to burn down the house?!" I asked, taking a deep breath to calm myself. 

"_**Hey I want some revenge! You already stole his money!**_" Gabe argued, and it was valid, I had stolen the box.

"Fuck... FINE!" I grabbed the matches and put them in my jeans. 

I put on the bag, and took out the matches, holding them gingerly as if they would explode. It was Sunday, everyone was at church right now, so no one would see. I grabbed one of dad's beers from the fridge and poured it on the couch and curtains. I lit the first match and dropped it on the curtains. They started to catch fast and I lit a second one and dropped it on the couch. I put a hand over my mouth as the smoke started to burn faster. The Fire alarm started to ring as I ran out and to the woods behind my house, bat in hand. 

Tomorrow was another day, Gabe had said...

  


Baby's Pizza World, It had been at the edge of town, secluded by trees. No other building was ever built near it, even after it shut down in the first week. Jamie and Dan were there, Dan was on the ground, leaning on the wall. 

"Fuck, Mike, there you are." Jamie ran up and hugged me, "You were fucking right. Your dad pulled up to my house after I went and got Dan. Thank you..." They both had their hiking bags as well, We had been on camping trips every year since I was 8.

"I stole Dad's money... I also lit the fucking place on fire." I said.

"Oh fuck..." Dan said standing up, "You did WHAT?!" Dan stopped dead, "What happened to you?" 

"I escaped from a monster." I said, "He got Tony, I realized it when Mrs. Lincon called and he came home this morning smelling of blood with it splattered on his shirt." 

"Fuck... So Jamie wasn't lying. He got Tony, and almost us." Dan put his hands over his eyes. 

"We can't stay in this place though, Mike. It's abandoned, it's probably filled with mold and rats." Jamie said. 

"Did Dan get his car?" 

"Yeah we drove off after your dad was in Jamie's House." 

"Okay... Let's see here... I turned 18 last month and I'm the youngest of us." Dan said, "If we leave town now, we could probably find an apartment or something, and room together and probably buy a house. We're all legal, but Mike burned his house down."

"No one saw me, and I'm pretty sure my... father... won't send the police after me. It would lead to what he did." I said. 

"So we're most likely safe. Thank Fuck..." Jamie breathed out. 

"Okay, so we have the town a few miles away, the one where they're starting that Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria. It's a larger town, and the cost of living is okay. Let' get an apartment or a house with a landlord or something..." I said. I only knew about that Pizzaria because dad was mad that they decided to use Freddy as the star when he was just a friend from Fredbear and Friends.

"You want to live in a town that your dad would most likely Visit?" Dan asked. 

"It's the best shot we got without running all over the U.S." Jamie said, "And I don't intend to work at Freddy's now or ever." 

We all agreed as long as we stayed away from that we would be fine... 

I put my bag in Dan's car, which was hidden around the back, and we left town. 

  


** 2 years later, Fall of 1985 **

  


It didn't take much to change your name if you decided to take your mother's Maiden Name. I was now Micheal Schmidt, Mike for short. "Dan, When did you buy this Milk?" I asked. 

Dan looked up from the TV. "I thought we got that this week? What's the Date say?" 

"It says October 15th, it's the 15th today, Dan." I tossed it into the trash and decided to get something out on my way to college. 

"Oh, shit... GUYS!" Everyone ran to Dan as the news was on. 5 Children Missing at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria. 

"You don't think..." 

"I don't know, Jamie." I said, "If he's a serial killer... Fuck..." I put my head in my hands, "I can't deal with this right now, I have to get to the University." Getting a Bachelor's degree in everything Mechanical was hard, but I had my father's knack for machines, thankfully. 

Dan stopped me, "If it was him, he's in town, Mike." Dan said, shaking his head, "Jamie, I'm taking Mike to class, Grab the gun in the safe, We're not taking a chance."

"Should we even go out today?" Jamie asked, "We should really skip town if he's murdered here."

"Fuck... Maybe he forgot about us?" Dan asked hopefully, "It's been two bloody years." 

"Dad's memory isn't that bad." I said, "He remembers and he waits." 

"What can we do?" Jamie was shaking.

"I... I have an idea." I said, looking at the TV. "He's only after your two..." 

"NO." Dan seemed to fit the pieces together first. "You'd meet with him and have us run." 

"It's the best shot we've got or you two fear for your lives. Get out of the state." 

"Goddammit! We were doing so well!" Dan yelled.

"Dan, calm down before someone files a noise complaint again." Jamie said, "You better not die, Schmidt!" Jamie ran off to pack. 

"Goodbye, my friends." I grabbed the landline and called Afton Robotics. 

"_Hello, this is Afton Robotics... My name is Jane, Can I help you?_"

"This is Micheal William Afton, is my dad there?"

The world was silent as Jane told me to hold. After a few minutes, the hold music ended.

"_Two Years, It's good to hear your voice._" 

From the sound of William over the phone, I could hear the fake cheer in his voice, "_I know why you called after all this time, however... You want to protect your little friends... Fine, I'll let them live their lives forever on one condition... Grab something to write on._" 

I frowned, a Condition? I was out of options, however... "Fine." I signed a deal with the devil. I grabbed a pencil and a notepad.

"_There's a Facility called Circus Baby's Funtime Rental._" Dad said, listing out an address, I wrote it down. "_You will find the answers there._" 

"what about College?" I asked.

"_You're going to the college here for Engineering, right? If you're anything like you were as a kid I can get you an early Master's Test. I have plenty of money, and you'd have a sponsor in Afton Robotics... hehe, You weren't learning anything there anyway._" 

He was right. Dad had called me a Prodigy when he used to bring me to work with him as a kid... "Deal." The second nail in the coffin. The world was becoming grey and lifeless with each strike.

"_Then I'll see you on Halloween... hehehe._" The phone went dead. 

"He agreed to let you go." Dan and Jamie were standing in the hall, trying to not look like they were listening in, "But I'm not so lucky, he is going to rush my College Mastery Exams... which is just insane, but that means he wants me alive." 

"Can we trust him?" Dan asked. 

"He always keeps his word..." As horrible as he was, he says something, he does it, but... "You should still go. This is my problem. Go live your lives and find your happiness. I've only brought you guys pain."

"Mike..." Jamie sighed. 

"This is non-negotiable. You guys need to go just in case. I have to face this alone." It was a bitter lie, I wasn't truly alone. v 

"Fuck... it's been a wild two years." Dan said, "We'll look but until then, we are here for you."

"Thanks, it's not the same without Tony, but we've kept his memory safe." I hugged the two of them. Solidarity was a strange thing. 

I had a lot to study. 

  


"_**You've decided to do something dangerous.**_**" Goldie said. It wasn't a question from the small gold robotic plushie. "_**I get why you did it, but it's dangerous.**_"**

**  
**

My brother's soul was peaking in with how worried he was, "It was my only viable option. Dad's rich, he would find us." 

"_I know. That's why i'm not mad at you._" Goldie sighed, which made a squeak sound, "_**Circus Baby...It's connected to Elizabeth.**_"

"How much do you know, Gabriel?" This was the first time my brother was willing to mention anything about Elizabeth. 

"_**I watched it happen, you know... I was always good at hiding.**_" Goldie sounded torn,"_**I followed her to her friend's Birthday party at Circus Baby's Pizza World, and it was an outside party. Baby was giving children Cupcakes and icecream left and right, but it was weird. She liked to stay near the least amount of people. When it was just Lizzy... She enticed her to follow her with an Ice Cream Cone... You see... she lead Elizabeth into the woods. I followed, and saw it...**_"

Goldie was quiet as I looked at him. 

"You saw.... what?" I really didn't want to know, but I had to, this was my sister.

"_**She went to grab the ice cream, Mikey, but she never got the chance. Baby's body split in half as a robotic arm grabbed Lizzy and pulled her inside.**_"

"Oh god... That's why you hated Animatronics." It was falling into place.

"_**Yes... but now we have to deal with Baby... I think it's time you opened that folder, Mikey. You haven't even touched it since you stole it from dad.**_"

He caught me there... I looked at my closet and opened it up, there was a small safe there, I opened it up and there was the broken Lockbox. I slipped it out and flipped the broken lid open. The Vial, The documents, The money that we've been using sparingly, and the folder. I grabbed it and flipped it open, and I was greeted by blue pages, filled with schematics. Fredbear, Spring Bonnie, Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Funtime Freddy, Funtime Foxy, Funtime Chica, Ballora...

Circus Baby.

I looked at her, she was seven feet tall, helium tanks, Icecream dispenser, She could sing... she could dance... She could kill. The claw was there, hidden behind her chest. Behind the Icecream dispenser. She would pull you in and you'd suffocate. The Funtimes and Ballora were equally disturbing. Voice Mimicry, Distractions, Smells... Springlocks... A storage tank with the drawing of a curled up child inside Funtime Freddy. 

"He's a monster." They were all designed to do it, it wasn't just an accident... even the Diner. 

"_**He truely is...**_"

There was a lot of schematics, but one got me. 

Fredbear 2. It was a plushie, with a skeletal system that all retracted into it's Core, a small orb. 

It had one note on it... _Fully Functional Tiny Animatronic made of 100% Remnant._

"_**So he even had ours.**_" Goldie said. 

"The animatronics were created to Kill... since the very beginning."

"_**It does make you wonder... what happened to make a man with a family of three children and a wife into a killer?**_"

  



	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Goldie arrive at Circus Baby's Funtime Rental. What awaits within it's depths? More is going on than a simple abandoned Warehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 2! I'm excited for this one because the story begins to gain it's traction. So far I've been enjoying this story. I hope you all enjoy it as well.
> 
> Disclaimer in Chapter 1. 
> 
> If you see any errors please tell me. I don't have a beta reader.
> 
> (Edited: 9/11/19 | Edited Goldie's Lines as they were not Bolded as well.)

The last 15 days flew by in a flash, Dan and Jamie left for better pastures and I downsized to a smaller apartment. Goldie seemed to enjoy that he had more time to watch TV, if anything. I had my finals project I had to bust ass for, though, it was a tiny animatronic, about Goldie's size, it was White and Purple, and was a bear. I had used Funtime Freddy's blueprints for the design, even if it did nothing the actual animatronic could do. I tightened the last screw as Helpy was now closed up. 

"Helpy's almost done, Goldie." I said, as I hooked him up to a plug. "Helpy, I need a hand." The eyes opened as I smiled. "Hello Helpy, I'm Mike." 

"Hello Mike." He said. 

"_**It doesn't have a soul you know. It's not like me.**_" Goldie said. I shook my head and lifted up Helpy. He wasn't powered by souls, but he would do. 

"Spoilsport." I said, "Alright Helpy, we need to do a few tests, your battery should be fully charged already, but I need you to do some stuff. Open your plates." Helpy's suit opened up, as I had based him on the Funtimes, Instead of the wire frame endoskeleton He was made of an endoskeleton like the ones in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria, but I had added small solar panels for him to charge his batteries. 

"Helpy, what is the meaning of life?" I asked. Helpy's plates closed and he did not respond. It was hard to tell if he was sapient or if he would evolve in time. I wasn't sure with Dad... Afton's Robots. 

"Was Goldie alive before you died?" I asked my brother. 

Goldie stopped from bobbing his head to a cartoon. He seemed to think about it.

"_**Yes. I was.**_" I nodded. I had used the blueprints of Funtime Freddy and Goldie, so It could probably happen. I did a few more tests before I was satisfied with him.

"Helpy, it's time to sleep. we're heading to the University." Helpy powered down as I unplugged him. Afton Robotics had made leaps and bounds to the electronic industry. Computers would probably be nowhere yet without them, but that didn't change the fact that my father was a bastard. I put Helpy in my bag, "Do you want to come with me or are you going to watch more TV?"

"_**I'll stay, Mikey, someone's got to guard all your stuff.**_" That meant he wanted to watch TV all day. I couldn't blame him. He always loved watching TV. I had no right to stop him after what I did to him for 3 years since Lizzy died.

"Alright, I'll swing here afterwards so we get everything to meet Dad at the Rental Facility... Fuck I don't even know what to expect from him."

"_**Expect to get stabbed in the back.**_" Goldie grouched. Gabriel and Goldie, two sides of the coin. It was weird knowing which one was showing, even though they weren't a separate entity anymore. 

"I know. He's good at pretending." 

  


Whatever Dad had on these people, They were quick to shove degrees into my hand and tell me to never come back. Helpy actually scared them I think, it was on their faces. The little white and Purple Bear was harmless unlike Circus Baby. I sat in my truck, a rundown piece of shit that I kept together with hopes and prayers, looking at my degrees. It as a hollow victory, I wanted to earn them the right way. I got out of the truck and back into the apartment, Goldie was still at the TV. I sat the degrees down and started to get ready. 

"He really likes to ruin me." I said. I grabbed the blueprints and sorted through them, there were of all the Funtimes, Goldie, Spring-locks, The Fazband, but nothing about Remnant. I needed answers. "What Is Remnant?"

"_**Remnant? You're still on that stuff?**_" Goldie asked. 

"It's weird, It's a metal. You said that it's the reason that Souls get trapped in animatronics, but I don't know HOW." Goldie had been a font of knowledge, but even his data-banks weren't all knowing, "I've been looking for two years and have no fucking clue." 

"_**It's getting late, Mikey. We need to go.**_" I didn't like it, but I knew it was true. I grabbed a bag and put supplies inside it. I had a toolbox in my truck cab. 

"If I am going into Circus Baby's Funtime Rental, we know some tricks at least." I said, I pulled out Helpy, as harmless as he may be... His functions were actually very unique, I rubbed his cheek before I put him back in the bag. He could come in useful if I needed an extra hand, "Baby has an emergency Stop in her leg, if it's still working. Whether or not she does have that claw still, I kick it and she stops. It's in the kneecap, so it's an easy target." 

"_**Funtime Freddy's Hand Puppet detaches, it's small and quiet. Ballora is blind, but hears well. Funtime Foxy is sensitive to light, and WILL attack. Funtime Chica is pacified by bright flashes, but hates the darkness.**_" Goldie said. 

"And last but not least... The add-ons. Minireenas are annoying but not strong, Biddybabs are good at biting, and then there's some problems. Funtime Freddy can Kidnap you, Funtime Foxy can spray you with Knockout gas, Ballora is good at chasing you, and Baby is huge." We were fighting an uphill battle. 

"_**They're still machines, which means they have an off switch**_" It was true to a fault.

"Yeah, but why does he even want me to go there?" 

"_**Elizabeth.**_"

I sighed, "Yeah. You mentioned her and Circus Baby"

"_**Circus Baby IS Elizabeth, but that doesn't mean that Lizzy is in full control. The AI could be stronger, or they could have fused together, like me. I just don't know what to expect.**_"

"We don't know enough." I rubbed my eyes, they were getting dark from a lack of sleep, "So the souls and the animatronic can be separate?" 

"_**Yes.**_"

"Can the souls defy the programming?" 

Goldie seemed to grow quiet in thought, "_**I don't know.**_"

"Okay that's a potential problem... but I may have a solution." I looked at my bag, and frowned... It was a crude way to deal with sentient robots... "I have Helpy."

"_**Yes... You do.**_" Goldie agreed, slightly nervous.

  


Baby's Funtime Rental was... nothing much to look at. It looked like a small warehouse. It didn't even look like it could fit a lot inside it. That was weird. "They can fit a lot of animatronics in this? It's small." 

"_**It seems looks can be deceiving.**_" Goldie said as he climbed my shoulder. __

"Dude, Hide." If dad saw Goldie, things could turn bad. He slipped into my bag as I stepped out of my car. The place only had employee parking. Grass grew through cracks and dust shifted with the wind. It hadn't been maintained in years. It honestly hadn't been OPEN in years. 

It was a grave, but why did it still stand? Why need remnant... How did remnant even get discovered? William held all the answers, and he would take them to his own grave no doubt. Two lights appeared in the road as a purple car... dad's old car, drove in and parked in front of mine. The driver door opened as he stepped out. 

William Micheal Afton, my father. His purple tie shined lazily in the late evening. His smile cruel, and his eyes dead. He moved his dark hair from his eyes as he closed the door. I stepped out, careful to keep a distance from him.

"Michael." He said, chuckling, "You've grown up quite a bit since I've seen you. You still crying like your brother?" Goldie shifted in my bag, but I wouldn't let him get to me...

I did have nightmares though, For the last two years, it had caught me. Seeing them, Every animatronic twisted with so many teeth. They weren't real though, they couldn't have been...

I did still cry for my brother, even if he had forgiven me... I surely hadn't.

"I'm adapting." It was non-committal, clipped, and a brick wall. 

"I see..." He knew, it was in his smile, "But we're not here for you. You're here for Circus Baby." 

"You left her down here for so long, and now you expect me to... go down there to find my sister's soul in a robot." 

Dad... Afton, I chided myself. He wasn't a father, not anymore, He gave a humorless laugh "I guess Gabriel must have told you at some point before his death, but he wouldn't have known about Remnant... You have my lock-box, you sly fucking fox... but foxy had always been your favorite, hadn't he?" He rubbed his chin, "No matter, you would have hidden it away somewhere safe, those things are dangerous. Already made my demands, and I always keep my word." he laughed. 

"So it's true. You killed children and imprisoned their souls in robots." I said. 

"Yeah, I'm not going to give any more freebies to you. You already know more than I wanted you to, which is only a minor setback." He opened the back car door and pulled out something. It was... a handheld device, a tablet. It had dumb cartoon eyes on it, and it was a sick mustard color, "This is a HandyUnit. You need it to get in and access Baby's Funtime Rental. It's old so it's going to glitch... Hope you don't mind." He laughed as he tossed it to me. I jerked and caught it as he slipped inside his car.

"Your job here? Destroy Circus Baby, Kill your other sibling." 

"I honestly want to kill you instead." I said.

He laughed, an honest to god laugh, and the sickening part was it wasn't forced or faked...

"Oh Micheal... who ever said I could die anymore? I _always_ come back." He winked, and drove off. 

"What?" I asked.

"_**Nothing good.**_" Goldie growled as the car disappeared. He climbed out of the bag as I looked at the HandyUnit. There was a red splash on one side, and at the top was paper tape with 'Mike' written there. I clicked the first button on the grip.

"**Hello and welcome to Circus Baby's Funtime Rental. Under some unfortunate circumstances that have lead you here, you are now our engineer! Please enter your name new employee!**"

"Oh well that's annoying." The thing was messed up, even the touch pad was gltiched out. I sighed and turned it around. It was broken. I sat it down and pulled out Helpy. 

“_**Already pulling all the stops huh?**_” Goldie asked. He did steer clear of the tiny animatronic. 

“Helpy. I need a hand.” The small thing started up I set it down. 

" Helpy's Here to help!" He said. 

“I need a hand, Helpy. Fix and hack that HandyUnit. I want it singing my tune.” Helpy picked up the thing and started to scan over it. It’s hands started to move as tools began to reveal themselves from the robot’s fingers as it began to fix the thing. 

“_**You created a horror creature.**_” Goldie said. I had created Helpy to deal with Animatronics. He was designed to be able to disable, hack, and fix anything I knew how to do, but he wasn't as limited as I was. Helpy began tearing away at the thing. 

“I really don’t feel bad for the Handyunit. It’s one of Afton’s machines.” I went through my backpack as Helpy worked. 

“_**Finally. That man is not a father.**_” Goldie huffed. He’d gotten more sassy in the last two years. Souls could still age, apparently. 

Helpy gave a sound. The HandyUnit was sitting there, complete and cleaned. I picked it up, “Thanks for the Hand, Helpy.” It powered down and I put it in my bag. I clicked the button again.

“**Hello! This is your Personal HelpyUnit! Welcome... ADMIN!**”

“HelpyUnit?” I asked, That was weird but I didn't have time to think on it, “Let’s get going.” I walked over to the warehouse. The doors opened as I stepped in front of it. The smell of dust and mold blew through. There was a sound of a giant fan somewhere.

“_**Oh no...**_” Goldie said as an overhead light turned itself on.

“This complicates things...” 

Sitting in the back of the room was a round set of doors. There was a large red button on the wall beside it. The giant fan was in that area, turning as dust coated the entire area. There was a desk for an employee, but it was empty. Moth eaten curtains were torn up over boarded up windows, but the power was still working...

“That’s an Elevator, and there is no second floor.” I had a pit in my stomach.

It went down, into the darkness. This was not like the Diner, this was a prison... For Circus Baby.

“_**Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.**_” Goldie Quoted. 

“For Tony, for me, for Elizabeth, for you.” I said, I walked past the receptionist desk. There was a flashlight there, so I grabbed it. It's heavy weight comforting somewhat. 

The HelpyUnit beeped. I pulled it out, “**Due to Company Policy, The Elevator can only be accessed at the end of each shift, as to conserve power. It will not open till your tasks are performed!**”

“I am the Admin, I have no duties but to end this nightmare.” I told it. 

“**Admin password accepted... ERROR Tasks for each shift cannot be removed. Tasks are as followed... Destroy Circus Baby... Destroy Ballora... Destroy Funtime Foxy... Destroy Funtime Freddy. Failure to do one task per night results in immediate termination, and termination of all admninistration controls.**”

I swore... Wait, it said removed... “HelpyUnit, Edit Tasks to Repair instead of destroy.” It beeped...

“**Input accepted, Administrator, Your tasks have been changed to Repair instead of Destroy, enjoy your shift, Administrator Engineer!**” 

I took a deep breath, that was close. I was NOT about to let him win. I pressed the red button. There was a loud creaking as gears began to turn. The doors began to slide open, generating a grinding noise. I covered my ears. When the light inside it blinked on, I put a hand to my mouth. leaning against the back of the elevator was a corpse, it's skull had been cracked, and there was red streaks everywhere in the elevator. It had a mechanic's uniform. I looked at the name on the uniform...

Miller D.

It was a last name, I guessed. "Poor sod, looks like he didn't make it. I'm sorry Miller. Fuck... another death to my dad's machines. Does it ever end?"

"_**We need to bury him. It's only right.**_" Goldie said. I pulled out the HelpyUnit.

"HelpyUnit, what time is my shift?" 

"**Engineer Admin, your shift is from 12 am to 6 am to preform your duties, Management reminds you that to access the elevators you must finish a single task.**" It said. I looked at my watch. It was almost midnight. 

"I'll have to bury him in the morning."

"_**We may find more within.**_"

I looked away as I pressed the big red button. The grinding of gears and the squeals of the door returned, drowning everything with noise. 

"I know, Gabe. That's what I'm afraid of..." I said as it began it's decent.

An ever hungry darkness awaited.

  


Circus Baby's Funtime Rentals had been quiet for years. In the shadows of the underground figures that stalked in the shadows heard the sound of grinding and squeals. It was not a noise they've heard in years. It was a sound that told them that there was someone coming. For most this was a chance to escape, but a small figure's servos were grinding in worry as it's friend was laughing at the news. 

"There's the Birthday Boy~" His friend had said as he moved his arms, the figure moving with it, "Hey Bon-Bon? Let's give them a surprise!" 

The small figure, Bon-Bon, gave a fake laugh, "Sure Freddy! Let's give them a party!" It wanted to tell the new person to run, for there was something very wrong with it's friends. They had hurt many before this one. There was a spark in the breaker room, Bon-Bon saw a flash of Freddy, white and pink, with crazed blue eyes, and a figure slumped in the back, the red still staining the wall. The small puppet just lamented.

"Hey Freddy? We need to be rested for the Birthday Boy! Let's go to sleep!" Freddy stiffened and returned to his stage. Bon-Bon sighed as their friend went into his sleep mode. With his eyes closed, the small creature detached itself from the wrist of it's friend with no noise. It slinked away in the darkness. It needed to find the new person, tell them to leave, to never return. 

This was their prison, and Bon-Bon knew they couldn't be allowed to hurt anyone else.

"**Motion Trigger, Breaker Room Vent.**" Bon-Bon made an unhappy noise as the robotic voice told Ballora he was coming. He retreated back to the breaker room. 

"Bon-Bon! Where did you go?" Freddy had asked, now awake from the sound of the vent.

"Sorry Freddy, I'm here. I heard a creak! You were sleeping so I checked it out. Nothing over here! Let's return to the stage!" Bon-Bon swung it's self on a cord and landed in Freddy's arms, reattaching itself to the empty socket that would have been a hand.

"Oh Bon-Bon! You had me worried sick!" Freddy cried. 

The small puppet sighed and shook it's head, it's bunny ears flopping in and out of it's few with sparks flying, "I'm fine! Let's go back to sleep!" Freddy agreed and returned to the stage. Bon-Bon didn't know why it could get Freddy to sleep, it couldn't stop him if he saw a human, sadly. It had tried, tried so many times. 

As Freddy slept, it disconnected again, silently dropping to the floor. There was another spark, it hopped over towards the Breaker. It swung and landed on the large switch that would turn the power off. It needed to get out, and that motion trigger was in the way. 

It put pressure and flipped the switch. The sparks stopped and it made a break for the vent.

No motion trigger happened.

"**Main Room Emergency Hatches Opening.**"

It had a chance, if it got past ballora.

  


The elevator stopped and I pressed the button again. The animatronics must know I'm here now. I pulled out the flashlight as the doors opened. I was met with Caution Tape, and a wall. I blinked, shining my light lower to see the vent, "You have to be shitting me." I said. This place was all connected by vents wasn't it?

I got down and started crawling, the metal was cold and dusty, dead bugs and rats were scattered, long dead. There was no food down here. Nothing organic could survive down here. "Uh oh! It looks like the Breaker has malfunctioned! Adding additional task that will not count towards the Elevator: Flip the Breaker!"

"Asshole Afton, Asshole Company, ASSHOLE UNDERGROUND FACILITY!" I hissed, "Helpy, I need a hand." Helpy peeked from the bag as I exited the Vent. This seemed to be a main room. There was a weird clown mask thing hanging on the wall. Three more vents sat at each wall. Two poles with control panels were next to glass walls. "Alright, we're safe for now... Helpy, I need you to sleep for now, but if I ask for help, it is because an Animatronic is trying to hurt us. I need you if that happens." Helpy nodded and powered down, I picked him up and put him away, wondering about things. Did this make me a parent, somehow? I pulled out the HelpyUnit, "Map."

"**Admin Access Granted.**" It pulled up a map, The breaker room was to the Left, past the Ballora Gallery. Funtime Freddy was also marked in the Breaker Room. Why was he there? Funtime Auditorium was to the Right. 

"_**I hear something coming. It's quiet as a mouse.**_" Goldie said. A second later a small blur slammed out of the vent and landed in a pile. 

"Ouchie..." It said, getting up and sitting on it's... waist? It was a Blue Bunny, missing it's bottom half, and was the size of a toddler, This was the Hand Puppet on Funtime Freddy. It looked at me and hopped towards me, I started backing up.

"Helpy? I need a hand." There was a blur of white and pink as Helpy jumped out of the bag. It landed on Bon-Bon and held the puppet down.

"W....wait, I'm not like them! I won't hurt anyone!" It said. It was a high pitched voice, but identifying a gender marker was impossible, "Please... You have to leave."

"Your friends killed people. Adults AND Children." I said. 

"Something's wrong with them! They're not evil! I don't know what's wrong with them..." The little bunny said, "Please... Leave, let them break down, this is our prison." 

"Helpy... Let him go. Go to sleep." Helpy released the thing and sat down. I picked him up, "Bon-Bon... This isn't an easy thing to learn... Their Creator made them to hurt people." The little puppet gave a strangled noise and started to shake. 

"N....Nonono..." I put Helpy away and picked up Bon-Bon, The bunny would have had tears if it could, "Why am I different? Why were they made to... hurt people?" 

"Bon-Bon? I need you to calm down. I'll explain why I'm here." It took a minute, but Bon-Bon did stop shaking, "My name is Michael Schmidt, My old name is Michael William Afton, My father was William Michael Afton. He was a bad man who made them to hurt people. I'm here to correct his mistakes." 

"Willy?" Bon-Bon asked, "Willy did this to us?" I guess they remembered him. It started crying again, and I held it. 

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to fix the bad parts. I can't fix what's already happened, but they won't be forced to hurt people anymore." I said, "If they continue to hurt people... it's not the programming, it's their decision, and they'd have to be stopped." 

"You came here to save them..." Bon-Bon seemed to be quiet, "Save Freddy first... please, save my brother." 

"I kinda need to go there anyway, The Breaker flipped." I smiled sadly.

"Oh yeah, I turned off the power to stop the Motion Trigger..." Bon-Bon looked away in embarrassment.

"Motion What now?" I asked, that didn't sound good...

"When the power's on, The motion trigger will say what Vent you're in. I had to use it to sneak past Ballora and the Minireenas." 

"Oh no... There are multiple Minireenas."

"There are four Minireenas, also five Bidybabs." Bon-Bon said, "There's also the Electrobab... I don't like them, they're mean to me." 

"What's an Electrobab?" I did NOT have a blueprint for that one.

"It's a Bidybab with a taser inside it." Bon-Bon said, in a matter of fact voice.

"That's fucking terrifying..." What was with animatronics?! I took a deep breath, "Okay, so we're against an entire army." 

"**Backup Generator has kicked in! Please get to the Breaker Room!**" HelpyUnit chimed from my backpack. Bon-Bon perked up as it looked up. Goldie was peeking out. 

"Hello there..." Bon-Bon said, waving.

"_**Hello!**_" Goldie waved back, causing me to smile.

"Okay, Bon-Bon, Ballora Gallery, how do we get past it without death?" I asked, turning back to the hand puppet.

The little bunny made a sound and looked like he was thinking, "Ballora can't see in the dark. If you keep your light off and go slowly so her collision detector doesn't trigger, you should be fine. If you hear her music getting closely, stop, wait for it to go away, then move again unless it gets close again. The Minireenas dance with her, but don't have collision sensers. I don't know how they stay with her." Bon-Bon said.

"Okay, and I know how to power off Funtime Freddy." I grimaced, "He needs a shorter name. same with Funtime Foxy. Okay... how about Fredrick and... Is Foxy a Boy or Girl here?" I asked.

"Uh... He." Bon-Bon said, "His voice is pretty deep." The small bunny seemed to be doing better, less tense.

"Okay, so Fredrick and Francis." I said, I looked at Bon-Bon, "What about you?" 

Bon-Bon Shrugged, "I guess male? I have no idea."

"The Motion Sensor is online now. I can't go ahead of you, so I guess I have to stay with you. You have to be absolutely quiet in Ballora Gallery, Mike." Bon-Bon climed on and piggybacked. He was actually pretty lightweight. I slipped into the vent.

  


"**Motion Trigger: Ballora Gallery Vent**"

Ballora Gallery was silent until the sound of the voice broke it. A music box started up. I slipped through the vent and started crawling. The floor felt smooth, bare... cold. As the music became louder I stopped as Bon-Bon's Grip tightened. I waited for him to loosen his grip as I continued.

"I don't know where you are, but I know you're there." A calm feminine Voice called out, "You are new. I wonder what led you here? To this dark place." I didn't answer, "You remain silent, Shame. Very Well." She didn't continue to speak. I let Bon-Bon, who could apparently see better in the dark, guide me to the next vent. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as I slipped into the small space. 

"I hate her..." Bon-Bon whispered, "She's not as calm as she sounds..." 

"It's okay, maybe you'll meet a better her soon." I honestly hoped that were true.

"What if Fredrick still wants to hurt humans after you fix him?" He asked, suddenly very panicked.

"I don't know, Bon-Bon. I hope not, but I don't know what his state of mind is like until I see him. Maybe we can help him...or not. It's a gamble."

"If not... you have to scrap him. I hate the thought of my brother dying, but I can't accept this hell anymore, Mike." Bon-Bon said, " I keep seeing it happen... even afterwards, When I try to go into sleep mode..." The small bunny gave a choked sob, "I want to see sunlight again, to be happy. I don't want to be in the dark anymore..." 

"I know, Bon-Bon." I said, "I'll try my hardest, for you." He was like me, broken, haunted. He may have never done anything, unlike me, but he was equally a victim of William Fucking Afton.

"**Motion Trigger: Breaker Room Vent**" 

"Showtime." I said. I felt the weight disappear as Bon-Bon ran ahead. 

"Bon-Bon? Is that you?" A very high pitched voice asked.

"Sure is! I got spooked by the power outage that I ran into Ballora Gallery... She scares me... The Minireenas were being mean again... I just want to go to sleep. Please sleep with me." 

"Okay Bon-Bon... We'll give the Birthday Boy a surprise later when he comes in, but you need rest..." I didn't see them, but it really sounded like Fredrick cared.

"I'm sorry, Freddy." Bon-Bon's Voice said as I pulled out Helpy, understanding what that meant. 

"It's okay Bon-Bon." Fredrick said. There was a sound as the Puppet attached to the wrist. 

"No, I'm sorry... NOW!" That was my cue...

"Helpy, I need a hand! Power down Fredrick!" I yelled. I felt the small weight disappear as Fredrick screamed. I pulled out the flashlight and shined it into the room. Fredrick was on the ground, Bon-Bon holding on to his ears, covering his eyes as Helpy had his hand in Fredrick's neck. The Animatronic stopped fighting and his hand slid to the floor.

"I'm so sorry... Please forgive me one day, Freddy." Bon-Bon said, sobbing, even without the tears, he cried his eyes out. I picked up the hand puppet. He detached from the arm and hugged me. I gingerly hugged him back, "Please, try your best... I don't want to lose him." 

"Helpy?" I asked the small animatronic. He looked at me, "Help Fredrick."

Helpy pressed a button on Freddy's cheek, the faceplates opening. 

"Do you want to look away?" I asked Bon-Bon, he nodded. I shined the light away and saw another body at the wall. It never got easier. I walked over to it and looked at a name tag. 

Chance D.

I nodded, committing the name to memory. Another ghost to be laid to rest after everything was over, one way or the other.

"Mike?" I looked at Helpy, as he was the one who spoke to me, surpringly, "May I see HelpyUnit?" I nodded and handed the hunk of plastic to him. He took it and turned it on, "Mr. HelpyUnit, I need to access Freddy's Files." 

"**Access Granted, Assistant Administrator Engineer.**"

"Thank you." I blinked at Helpy... he was growing an identity. 

"He grew up fast." I said, "I guess he plugged himself into Freddy to try and access the files. It must have jump-started his core. Helpy, keep an eye on your files too, I don't want that coding to hurt people in you." 

Helpy laughed, "As if Mr. Afton's coding could ever measure up to MY dad." 

"_**Oh shit.**_" Goldie said.

"Goldie! Language, you're nine!" I admonished, knowing I was a hypocrite. 

"_**Oh right...**_" mMy brother sometimes... It was my fault for cursing around him. 

"I need to sit down... I officially have a child." I slumped to the ground, head in my hands. 

"_**I have a Nephew!**_" Goldie cheered.

Helpy worked in peace as I watched. Bon-Bon was messing with the Breaker. 

"Power Restored. Emergency Power swapped to Main Systems." Bon-Bon had flipped the breaker, trying to keep his mind off of Fredrick. 

"Uh oh. My Battery is low, dad. I'm almost done though! 14% remaining!" I had used Helpy a lot tonight... Fuck. 

"Okay Helpy. Don't overdo it." I said, getting out of my Stupor. I walked over to Fredrick as Helpy worked. He looked so peaceful, his eyes closed. I was surprised I made Helpy the same colors as him. I made Helpy to look nice and friendly, His was almost a perversion of nice, but hopefully he would be a good one. 

"Just one more file! I found a lot of neat things, daddy! Mr. Afton was good at building robots, but not good at coding them! Half the code, the good code isn't his! All the bad code is. The good code belongs to one Henry Emily!" 

"Mr. Emily?" I asked. The CEO of Fazbear Entertainment, the owner of Fredbear's Family Diner... Dad's partner, "He had nothing to do with the evil code?" I asked.

"I don't know! His signature isn't on the bad coding, but if he knew i'm not sure. OH! I'm done!" Helpy bopped Fredricks' nose and all the plates closed back together as it gave a squeak. He slide down and put his tiny hand in the gap between Fredrick's neck, "I have enough power to stop him if he tries anything." 

"Thank you helpy." I said, "Funtime Freddy?" I asked as his eyes opened. They looked around as I backed off. Bon-Bon hopped over to him as the guy sat up. 

"Freddy?" The rabbit asked. 

"Bon-Bon?" The voice sounded different, less high pitched. The bear turned towards me, and the flashlight I had pointed at him, "Bon-Bon... There's a human here... and I... I..." The bear sniffled. 

He lunged at me.

"Dad!" Helpy cried 

"_**It's okay!**_" I opened my eyes, I had shut them in reflex, there a large bear crying into my shoulder, hugging me.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." The bear repeated those words over and over again. His voice hitching, "I didn't want to hurt anyone! I just wanted to make people happy... I never wanted this!"

"Freddy..." Bon-Bon said, "You couldn't stop it, it's okay."

"NO, it's not, Bon-Bon! I'm a monster..." The bear continued to cry. 

"You're not a monster." I said, looking at the eyes of Goldie, "Monster's wouldn't be breaking down like you are, feeling horrible. Monsters would be laughing as they slowly break themselves more and more." Goldie nodded at me.

I let him cry it out. Bon-Bon hung off Fredrick's neck, crying as well. My heart felt light, We had did it, Me, Goldie, Bon-Bon, and Helpy. we managed to save one of them from Afton's nightmare. 

The smile from my face vanished as there was a spark of light. There was something in the corner. It was tiny, but I could see it had teeth. Two white dots looked at me as it seemed to be twitching and glitching. It... had a tiny top hat.

The light flashed and it was gone. 

I had seen that before. In my dreams... My nightmares. 

It was a Freddle.

There's no way it was there, I was hallucinating, I had to be. It was from a nightmare!

"Mike?" I jerked, looking over to Bon-Bon, The hand puppet seemed to give off the sense that it was internally smiling, "Thank you. I'm glad that I met you."

"Mike huh?" I looked at Fredrick, who had calmed down, "You saved me. It might have been your little buddy, but you told him to save me. I don't feel like I deserve to be saved... but you did so I have an obligation to you." Fredrick tipped his hat, "From this moment forth, I devote my entire life to you. I owe you my soul over and over and over again. For the people I've hurt, to the ones that got hurt because of me."

"It's okay, Fredrick." I put a hand to my mouth, I had accidentally said my moniker for him out loud. 

"Hmm... Fredrick... I like it. It's better than Freddy or Funtime Freddy." He said, "I do have one request, if you're willing. I understand if not, however..."

"What is it?" I asked, curious as I picked up a sleeping Helpy. He must have powered down after it was clear Fredrick wasn't a harm to me. 

"I want to leave with you." He said.

I blinked.

oh....


	3. Dance with Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circus Baby's Funtime Rental has taken victims, it's up to Michael to bring them to light, and escape with his new friends, but one adversary stands within their way.
> 
> Ballora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile. My life has been really busy so it's been hard to find time to write. I'm job hunting and it really hasn't been going well, but I've finally finished this chapter.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, feel free to leave a kudos or a comment, I'm always willing to converse, if you see any mistakes let me know, as I do not have a beta reader. 
> 
> I'll see you next time. Hopefully soon!

I felt the words begin to settle a weight on my chest. Leave. He wanted to leave this awful place. His face plates shifted and Fredrick seemed to turn sheepish. He looked away as I grabbed his hand. Prisoners, it was easy to forget they were here against their will. They were inside a prison, left to rot, mentally hurt. 

Sabotaged.

"I have nothing here, anymore. Mike... Our show's cancelled, left to die, left forgotten... I don't want to be here anymore..." Fredrick's voice seemed to hiccup. He was going to cry again. I took his head into my arms, something mom used to do to me... 

"I'll do my best." It was time to stop running, from my own past, and my own father. I had to fix these horrible mistakes he made, starting right here in this room. I let Fredrick go as I flashed him a thumbs up, "Well if we're going to go home, I need to do something. I want to turn the lights on." 

Fredrick seemed to startle, "You want to... turn on the lights?" He asked, voice filled with worry, "Me and Bon-Bon can get you through the Gallery without the lights you know."

"I know, but I can't let this place like this, Fredrick... there's been so many lives lost here. It shouldn't be allowed to hide in the shadows, I have to lay these ghosts to rest. It's something I need to do." I started moving over to the panel. I pressed a button on the side and a panel unfolded from the wall. It gave a dumb noise before revealing a map of the circut. 

"_**At least with the lights on Funtime Chica won't be a problem.**_" Goldie grabbed the flashlight to hold it up to the panel. Bon-Bon made a noise I couldn't recognize. 

"What's a Chica?" Fredrick asked. 

My finger's halted on the panel, I looked over to the white dots I knew to be Goldie, before looking over to the large bulk that was Fredrick, "It's a Funtime Animatronic. She was part of some Blueprints I stole from my father." 

"I've never met or seen a Funtime Chica, Mike." Fredrick sighed, "I'm not saying she doesn't exist... but she's not here. Maybe she used to be before we ended up here... maybe she was never built, or she was scrapped. I honestly don't know... then again, I've been in this room for years. I don't know every single corner of this place."

"The only females here are Baby and Ballora." Bon-Bon said, "I think we'd know if there were any more than that. Fredrick's right, though. There could be a number of reason we don't know a Chica." The small robot gave a sigh, "I wish we could be more help to you."

"I know, Bon-Bon," i rubbed the small rabbit's head a bit, "You two just sit tight, and I'll have this done in a jiffy."

The Panel had finished booting up. There was a rudimentary map, listing the various animatronic areas and two observation decks. I found what I was looking for. There was a button on the side of the panel that activated a console. The Helpy Unit beeped as I pulled it out, a keyboard appearing on the screen, "Okay, I have access to the console. I can set the lights on from here." 

A progress bar started filling after I assigned the console to reactivate the lights. I hoped the bulbs hadn't corroded after all these years. Funtime Chica still settled on my mind. She wasn't with the others, so what did William do with her? This place was built like a fortress... No, it was a prison. a very complex prison of cold steel and dead dreams. The equipment was fairly old and still obviously Afton Robotic tech. Was this designed to be a prison in the beginning? Was it a testing facility? There's no way that it was just a warehouse.

"Hey Goldie? Why is your voice so different?" Bon-Bon's question struck my own thoughts down as I stopped working as my brother giggled.

"_**I don't know! I don't think I really have a voice box. Mikey asked me this two years ago, but i'm still not so sure.**_" When I had asked Goldie, I assumed it was normal for an Animatronic to sound like that, but Bon-Bon and Fredrick had a crispness and very organic voices. 

"I assumed you were making sounds with vibrations, to be honest. It would make sense." I said, "Many animals communicate by vibrations, Like Crickets or Cicadas, so it makes sense that you have some kind of vibration effect to create words." 

"You're so smart Mike!" Bon-Bon cheered. 

"I'm an Engineer. I have to be. I've been working with machines for a very long time." I shrugged, "At least Goldie hasn't needed a tune up yet. I'm not sure still how to fix him if something happens." 

Goldie gave a raspberry and suddenly I had to cover my eyes. The Lights had come on. 

I heard Fredrick gave a cry.

Fredrick had seen Chance's body... shit. 

I looked over to the corner. Chance had not died peacefully. His skull was caved in the back, a large red stain splashed along the wall. Someone had slammed him hard into the metal wall and he died instantly. 

"There's.... There's a body... O-oh no... I.... I killed him... didn't I?" Fredrick's voice was quivering as a hand went to his face, "I-I'm..." Fredrick's Voice cracked, "I'm a monster..."

"NO!" Bon-Bon was suddenly in Fredrick's face, hands on his cheeks, "You are not a monster! You didn't do this! Willy did this! You are not to blame, Fredrick..." The bunny's voice seemed to lose sounds as he hugged the bear's face, "please don't blame yourself... You couldn't stop it..."

I put a hand on Fredrick's shoulder, but Fredrick seemed to shrink into himself, letting out a whimper, "You are a victim in this... Just like me, just like Goldie... just like who that body used to be. My father is the one responsible for this, so please don't destroy yourself for his mistakes." 

"Oo...Okay." Fredrick made a sniffle sound. He was just a hurt victim, unable to shed actual tears, even though the emotions tore him up inside. I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the cold plastic. His body stiffened at the gesture.

"It's okay. It's okay to cry, Fredrick." My father had become a monster... but I wouldn't let myself fall that far. I had to be better, For Gabe, Fredrick, Bon-Bon, and my friends I will never see again. Fredrick let a heart wrenching sob and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. 

He had never wanted to hurt anyone... 

When I got my hands on my father, I'd kill that son of a bitch. 

  


"Thanks... I'm not okay... but I will be, one day." Fredrick finally said. I let him go and he gave a sniffle. He was very human, underneath all of that metal and wires, "Whoops... I messed up your hair." He turned sheepish. I hadn't even realize that my hair tie had come undone. 

"It's fine. I can retie it. I'll share a secret with you, Fredrick. Two years ago... I did something unforgivable too. I'm still not okay. I've been having nightmares ever since." Goldie gave a sigh.

"_**He tried to hide them from me for awhile. He would blame his dark eyelids on allergies at first. Then it was stress from school, then his final act of denial was insomnia. When he woke up screaming, he couldn't lie to me anymore after that.**_" The plush gave a sad laugh, as I looked away from his gaze, embarrassed by my own actions.

"They were pretty realistic though. I was in my old house again. The dream always starts with it being midnight on the clocks, but time goes by fast. There are these... animatronics... It was the Fazbear gang, but they're... horrifying. Claws, sharp teeth, decayed, hole strewn bodies. There's one... one that doesn't belong. He's exactly like the nightmare Fredbear... but he's pitch black. Virtually invisible in the dark... except for his eyes. A deep dark red..." I looked away, "I call him Nightmare." 

"_**It's not normal to have the same nightmares for two years, Mikey. Something's not right with that...**_" Goldie said.

"I know." It was pretty obvious something was going on, especially if I had actually seen a Freddle outside of my dreams, here, "They're dreams though... Dreams are not real" I wish I believed that lie...

"_**Just be careful, Mikey..." Goldie shook his head, "Okay, we need to plan. The lights are one, but there are a lot of homicidal robots inside this facility.**_" 

"Right, we need to get to that elevator. Fredrick, can you fit through the vent? It goes straight to Ballora Gallery, which also goes straight towards the vent to Observation Deck 1." I looked at the vent. It was big enough to fit two people shoulder and shoulder with quite a bit of room to not tough the roofing of the space. If Observation Deck 1 was the maintenance entrance, was there another one?

"I mean... I think? They got me in here somehow, didn't they?" He shrugged, very unsure. 

"Okay... I'll have to rely on sheer luck you fit. Ballora and her Mini Ballerinas. Any ideas how to get past her?" My stomach chose now to complain, I gave a tired sigh, "Hold that thought. I need to eat something." 

I sat my pack down, flipping it open, and began to dig through it. I had water and snacks, my flashlight, Helpy, helpy unit, and my tools, I gave him a gesture to continue. 

"Uhh... The Minireenas aren't really strong. There's just like 4 of em, so they can overwhelm you if they can catch you off guard. Annoying, but not really dangerous." Bon-Bon said, "They could bully me by myself since i'm not really strong... but they shouldn't be able to harm you easily. The real problem is Ballora, she's mean... very mean. She also has teeth..."

I decided to pull out the heavy flashlight that I had found on the ground floor, "Well, if It comes down to it, i'll fix her face later, but if she tries anything, i'm going to slam this flashlight in her fucking face." 

Bon-Bon gave a small laugh, "You swear a lot." 

"_**It's a bad habit of his. He means well, at least.**_" I gave him a glare, but ended up laughing when he burst into giggles. 

"It really is a bad habit, but I am an adult." I opened the chips, "Okay, break time, then it's time for a jailbreak."

"Mike?" Fredrick had been silent for awhile, so hearing his voice made me look over to him.

"Yeah big guy?" I asked.

"If she tries, I'll stop her." I could tell he meant Ballora. Fredrick's gaze had changed, his was now firm, defiant almost. 

"Thanks, I feel a lot better already with you here." I smiled, giving him a thumbs up. 

  


"_**It's too bad you can't fit in Fredrick's storage. This would be a lot smoother otherwise.**_" Goldie said as I threw away my trash in a very old and very dusty trash bin. I grabbed my pack and slung it over my back as Goldie hopped up. 

"Yes, it would be a lot simpler." I slipped the flashlight in my pocket, "Alright. You guys know the plan. Fredrick stalls her as we slip to the vent."

"_**Why can't there be any doors in this place?**_" Goldie grumbled. 

"I mean... there's a few. Doors I mean." Bon-Bon said, "There's a security office and The Scooping Room in the Funtime Auditorium... but there's two doors in Ballora Gallery. Don't know where to." 

"What's a scooping room?" 

"It's where The Scooper is, duh!" 

"_**It sounds like something you use for ice cream.**_" I had a sinking feeling it wasn't anything like Goldie's imagination painted it to be.

"It scoops Animatronics." Fredrick said, "They used it for 'maintenance' but it never really did anything... except probably make us worse." 

"I guess they never planned to actually fix you guys... How did he even get away doing all of this? These things... How many people has he killed? How has no one found out?" 

"I don't know, Mike." Fredrick said, "We've been down here a long time. I don't know anything about Willy aside from how he was before everything happened. Before we were abandoned, before we lost every ounce of our sanity." 

I frowned and thought to the map on the breaker screen. There were a lot of grayed out areas that didn't have names. Did that mean those places ran on seperate power grid? A closed circuit within another closed circuit? This place didn't make any sense! How did he build this place? How long ago did he?

"Mike." I looked over to Fredrick, "Contrary to what you think, Ballora is not blind. She cannot open her eyes while her face-plates are closed. If we give her no reason to open them, she won't see you, but the problem is she has very good hearing. That's why I'm going to try and distract her. Get into the vent and I'll get in after you." 

I felt the weight of the flashlight in my pocket, "I understand."

"**Motion Trigger: Ballora Gallery Vent.**"

"Showtime." Fredrick said. 

He slipped out of the vent as we came to the end. The room was fairly large, and from the vent I could see a lot of the room with dull metal walls and concrete floors. There were red stains that dotted the floor, along with bundles of cloth hanging form the ceiling in odd places. 

I swiftly cupped my mouth with a hand to stifle a sound. Those weren't decorations. They were nooses, and they were occupied. I saw rotten parts and even one that was mostly bone at this point. How did I not even smell it? 

Wait... I had been smelling it, but there were fans all across this facility, it was mostly being covered up by the smell of dust and mold. I slipped out of the vent, which was flush against the wall, a rectangle that just sunk into the wall. 

"Ballora?" The animatronic, who had been still and silent, moved her head, "It's okay, it's just Me and Bon-Bon! The Lights turned on for some reason. I've never seen them on like this." 

"Oh, Hello Freddy. I thought I heard someone go into your vent earlier. What a pleasant surprise this is though. You haven't left your room for a long time." Her tone was quiet and yet... there was something there. It gave me shivers up my spine. 

"It was Bon-Bon! He must have slipped out when I was sleeping. He is usually very quiet, so I don't really know." He gave an odd laugh, "I hope the lights stay on, I like being able to see." He was pointedly ignoring the hanging corpses, I noticed, his eyes were straight on her. 

Ballora was a tall animatroinic, primarily blue and grey, with red cheeks and a skirt. Those features had been weathered, and there was red smears all across her, mostly in her mouth. I remembered that Bon-Bon had warned me

_She has teeth..._

"Yes, I've heard, though you know I prefer the darkness. It's easier to dance with my eyes closed." 

"Where are the Minireenas?" Bon-Bon asked. 

"Well Little One, they went to visit the Biddybabs. You should go join them, they're going to explore now that the lights are... on." 

"What's wrong?" Fredrick suddenly grew nervous. I halted my movements my hand reaching towards my pocket for the metal torch. 

"I hear breathing, Freddy." Fredrick put his hands behind him. I heard something click, then the sound of a music box starting up as her tutu began to spin, "Robots don't breath... There's a human somewhere." Her facepaltes begain to start sepearating slowly, "Where are you little human? Don't you want to dance?" 

"Not particularly." I pulled the flashlight out, "I have two left feet." 

"Let's get him Freddy!" Her eyes opened, and saw him, "... Freddy?" 

Freddy gave a smirk, or the best one he can give her, "Sorry Ballora, but it's... it's too bad..." He let her see his arms, his right hand was empty. "Bon-Bon is very sneaky when he wants to be..." 

She gave a scream as a small blue blur slammed into her back.

  


WHAM

  


"YOU FILTHY RABBIT!" Bon-Bon was on her back, stabbing her with a shard of metal, it must have been around the stage, because the floor was mostly scarce of anything, "GET OFF OF ME!" She was trying to grab him with her hands, but the rabbit kept moving from her reach, digging in the metal sliver deeper. He wasn't able to continue to evade, however. 

"Uh-Oh..." Ballora threw the rabbit at the wall. He was able to catch himself on a hanging corpse. The Rope, old and worn, snapped with the new weight and fell. It landed with a heavy thud, but Bon-Bon picked himself up, "GROSS! EW EW EW!" He noticed what he was sitting on and moved away. 

"So you're a traitor, Freddy." She said. 

"Eh, it's not really a surprise, I always loved kids more than you. I didn't want this, Ballora, and maybe you didn't either... but it happened. we killed people and children!" 

"Then there's nothing more to talk about. I'll be sure to tell Baby of your... demise." She moved, jumping and slamming into the bear with an eerie agility. He gave a muffled cry as he grabbed her legs and threw her off, but she caught herself, landing gracefully into a lazy spin. The balls on her feet tips keeping her balance perfect. 

"Heh, You're still working well, after all these years... thought you'd be a lot more rusty." He said. She spun and launched herself at him, face plates wide open, and I decided to act.

The metal Flashlight smashed into her vulnerable exposed face. She screamed and fell, cupping her head in her hands. She writhed on the ground.

"RUN!" Freddy yelled. 

"NO! YOU WON'T ESCAPE!" She scampered onto all fours. She was like a spider... Her right eye was shattered and her left was dim. Her faceplates slackened and moving limply, "You ruined it! My face! I WAS BEAUTIFUL!" The lights flickered the corpses shook form some kind of force.

"What's going on?!" Bon-Bon asked.

"It doesn't matter! Protect Mike! Get him to the Elevator! I'll Keep her back!" Fredrick called out. 

"I'll tear you apart! I'll tear all of you apart!" She jumped into the fucking air, higher than I thought she could. She was suddenly upside down on the ceiling. 

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I yelled. She started crawling, on the fucking ceiling. 

_ **** _

_ **Move** _

I scrambled away as suddenly she was right there, where I was a moment before... Who had said to move? I dodged another swipe of her hand. Fredrick slammed into her, ramming her into the wall. The metal groaned and creaked, dented from the force. 

"You can't have him!" Fredrick pulled out the sliver of metal from her back and slammed it into her neck, "NEVER AGAIN!"

"Damn... You..." The lights of her eye vanished as He pulled out the shiv of metal and let her drop to the ground in an unceremonious heap. 

The room was silent for what felt like eternity. 

Fredrick began crying as he dropped the metal onto the ground. 

"Is... she dead?" I asked.

"_**No. Her soul is still there. I can see it.**_" Goldie said. 

"Well we need to get out of here just in case she wakes up again." Bon-Bon said, He moved over to Fredrick, "Come on big bro, we need to get out of here... Fredrick."

"I know..." Fredrick made a sniffle sound, "I wasn't thinking... All I knew was she was going to hurt him... I reacted."

"She crawled on the fucking ceiling." I said, "How did she crawl on the fucking ceiling..."

"_**Mikey, Remember we're souls inside of vessels. Everything about us is weird.**_"

"... Can you crawl on the ceiling?" I was now very worried.

"_**Oh, no. I can just do this.**_" Suddenly I saw Goldie sitting on Fredrick's head.

Fredrick gave a startled squeak, "That's... unnerving." 

"That's awesome!" Bon-Bon clapped. 

I slumped to the wall. I felt the tears fall when my body finally caught up to what had just happened. This place is filled with blood and bodies, my brother could teleport, Ballora was able to crawl across the ceiling, and William had created haunted robots. 

"_**Mikey... come on.**_" Goldie pulled on my hand.

  


"**Motion Trigger: Observation Deck 1**"

"Helpy Unit, Seal maintenance hatches." I said as I pulled out the tablet. It gave a beep as the three vents closed. Now that the lights was on I noticed that there was see through glass. I saw Ballora on the ground, unmoving, staring blankly at the ceiling. I gave a strangled cry as I looked at the other one.

Funtime Auditorium was covered in red. Corpses strewn across the ground. Funtime Foxy was covered in dried blood, it was moving across the room, aimlessly. It was almost as if the animatronic was feral. 

"He... He's killed so many people..." Fredrick gave a weird sound, "How could Willy even justify this? Why have so many people been killed? WHY?!" Fredrick slammed his fist into the glass. It shook, but there were no cracks in the glass, but Foxy had noticed, It's mouth plates split open and it _hissed_ at us. It's blood soaked body moved slowly towards the observation deck. 

"Fredrick..." Bon-Bon said. 

"Are they even worth saving anymore?" he asked, "I never really came out of the breaker room... But them? They've destroyed so much... What if they just... ask to be destroyed when they wake up?"

"I don't know, Fredrick, but we can't actually do anything about that yet." I said, "I don't know anything about removing souls from robots." 

"_**Mikey? I want to know about this 'Scooper'...**_" Goldie seemed to snap out of his own Stupor, "_**Maybe the HelpyUnit can tell you what it is? If it was used on the Animatronics here... maybe it's actually what's infected them with this virus.**_"

"That's actually a good point. It would also explain why Bon-Bon isn't affected!" I picked up the tablet again, "Helpy Unit, What is the Scooper?"

"**Could not find any Files marked: Scooper.**" Was the reply.

"So maybe Scooper was a nickname of the machine." I said, "Any thoughts?" 

Bon-Bon turned away from the window, "I think I heard Ballora call it a... Scoop, once." 

"Scoop? Back to square one then..." I sighed, "It's a bloody machine... the only way it'd get that name is... if it's... Oh bloody fucking hell. It's an Acronym, Isn't it?"

"Helpy Unit, Bring up Schematics for the S.C.O.O.P.E.R" I spelled out the letters.

"**No files found.**" 

"Bring up Schematics for the S.C.O.O.P"

"**No files found.**"

I sighed, "HelpyUnit, Bring up Schematics for S.C.U.P.R" I said, Helpy Made another negative... There was one more left... "Helpy, Bring up everything for the S.C.U.P" 

"**Password Required to access files.**" I made a noise of distress, "**Incorrect Password.**"

"Okay, so it's password protected, meaning that it's related to dear old William." I really hated how much leads right back to him, "Helpy Unit, the password for the S.C.U.P is..." 

"_**Elizabeth...**_" Goldie answered.

"**Password Accepted: Accessing Files.**"

The HelpyUnit fell from my limp hand, Goldie rushed and caught it, The world became deathly silent as the contents were revealed, it was a mechanical arm, with a scoop like hand, connected to a half circle base. It was divided into 4 sections, A, B, C, and D.

> _S.calable C.reation of U.lterior P.resence_
> 
> A: Excavating Arm  
B: Remnant injector (NOTES: Leave Trace Line Amount on interior. Over-Usage or Over-Exposure negates effect.)  
C: Arm Base and Balance  
D: Remnant Reservoir (NOTES: When Heated, no observable motion. Keep in heated tank at sustained temperature (A perfect 72 degrees). Substance should be malleable, but not more. There is a possiblity that overheating might neutralize the effects permanently.)  


"_**Mikey... We have a problem.**_" Goldie said.

"Remnant... He was experimenting with it. What the fuck is Remnant..."

HelpyUnit made a sound, "**Audio Log Accessed: Project Remnant. Please Stand by**"

"_This is William Michael Afton." The voice came out was soft, it was definitely him, but he sounded... weak "I am recording my thoughts, should I forget any single detail of this experiment. Inside the human body, lies a substance. I have given it the codename: Remnant. When we are born, there is a substance inside the stomach, it is a red, malleable metal. It becomes innert as the body grows, but is fully gone at the stage of Puberty. It is the remnant of the human soul, dissolving as the person grows older. It would have one function, to hold a human soul as the baby is forming inside the womb, How souls are formed are unknown, Two humans mating mix more than fluids... I believe that their souls mingle, and leave a budding soul, with a piece of each parent to create a seed. Remnant is what remains after the soul is accepted into the body, and eventually it's power fades away..._"

The room went silent once more, I looked at Goldie, who seemed to be shaking.

"_The Human Stomach Temperature is 100 Degrees, Farenheight. I believe that is near the temperature that it starts to become unsuable, eventually. I need samples to test if lower temperatures perserve this substance, however... I do not have much time. If this substance can hold the human soul... I may able to perserve my own life, but I do not have much time. If this fails... I will die._"

"**End of Audio Log.**" 

That... That...

"THAT FUCKING BITCH!" Every possible worry I'd ever had was gone. Every doubt I had for two years... suddenly disappeared, "I'M GOING TO STRING HIS FUCKING NECK!"

My legs gave out and my vision turned misty. I was crying again, why was I always crying? I started to wipe my tears, it was too much, all the death, surviving murderous animatronics... learning that your entire life was based on a lie. William Michael Afton was a monster that killed children to survive some kinda life threatening condition. he stole everything from them, and when he wasn't dying, he kept stealing from people.

"S..so Much... He stole... so..so much." I couldn't even speak straight, "...when will it end?"

"_**Mikey... you know the answer to that. He won't stop unless...**_"

"Someone stops him." I finished, "Unless I fucking stop him..." I used my shirt, now very dusty, to wipe away the tears. Leaning on one of the boxes as support, I picked myself up, "Fredrick? how are you holding up?"

The large bear seemed to move from the spot he'd sat in. Bon-Bon held tightly in an arm, "All this time... he did it for something so selfish..." He looked up, "He was so afraid to die he killed children... I can't even believe he's human."

"He's not human anymore... He's just a leech... an undead who stole the lives of children AND adults..."

"_**It's late, Mikey... we should leave.**_" Goldies voice seemed to bring me out of my anger. A cold sadness gripped my chest.

"Yeah... We'll figure out more when I get some rest. Come on Fredrick, Bon-Bon, the Elevator is through this Vent."

"I get to see the sky... It's been so long." Fredrick made a noise that was still sad, but had some hope to it as he started to climb in the vent, "It's a bit small, but I should fit just fine." 

  


The Elevator's Fan spun as I climbed out of the vent. Fredrick was standing at the wall, impatient, He was swaying a bit, obviously fidgety. I made sure I had everything and pressed the red button. 

"Thank you for your Service! Your pay has been docked accordingly for removing: Funtime Freddy, From the Facility! See you tomorrow, Administrator Engineer!"

"I was getting paid? News to me." I said. 

The Elevator gave a lurch, and from the corner of my eyes I saw a flash. I turned my head as the doors to the elevator started closing. In the vent were two red orbs. Two VERY familiar red... eyes. Eyes that I recognize...

Eyes that I saw in my nightmares.

A very deep and very distorted laugh seemed to play itself inside my mind as the elevator moved. 

"Are you okay, Mike?" Bon-Bon asked, "You look pale..."

"I'm not okay, Bon-Bon. After everything I've seen today... I might never be okay. So much horror has happened. You can't just forget what you saw... at least not something like that."

"I... I Understand." The Rabbit seemed to emotionally deflate, his ears drooping, "We shouldn't let it destory us though. We have to set things right. If we let it drown us... it wins. You know?" 

"There's a very special place in hell for William Afton," I gripped the railing of the elevator, hard, "And we shouldn't keep the Devil waiting." 

The elevator shook, before the doors opened. Dust seemed to burst as the doors opened, the fan once again throwing it in my face. Coughing my lungs out, I opened my eyes to see the familiar office like space of the ground floor. 

"We... we're free!" Fredrick ran out of the elevator as I walked out slowly. He was laughing as he threw the front doors open, "The sky! The Moon! THE STARS! The trees... The grass..." he seemed to stop moving. 

"Fredrick?" I asked. He had went quiet after going from happy to sad.

"It's all real..." He seemed to sniffle, "I was so afraid those elevator doors were going to open, and and I'd open my eyes, still in the breaker room... still a monster. When I asked you to take me out... I thought I was dreaming. When I learned so many horrible things... I thought it was a nightmare... but now... Now I know that this this isn't a nightmare... it's reality..."

I grabbed Fredrick's hand and looked at the treeline, "You are free, Fredrick... I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to return here." 

"I know... I don't know what I want anymore..."

"_**Let's get home and figure out that later then... I want to watch cartoons.**_" 

"Cartoons!?" Bon-Bon and Fredrick cried out in joy.


	4. Curtain Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael's First night has ended in Circus Baby's Funtime Rentals. He's escaped with his life, and two new friends, however his second night looms. What has become of Ballora after her defeat at the hands of Fredrick? Will Michael be able to save them all, or will he have to make a horrifying sacrifice? One thing is for sure though... 
> 
> Funtime Auditorium awaits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a day late, but I finished Chapter 4, and I'm going to try to keep to a loose upload schedule of a chapter every 2-3 weeks. It takes awhile to plan these chapters out and format them to look good for you guys. If you find any errors or inconsistencies with earlier chapters, please let me know, for I am not a perfect writer. Mistakes happen, and I honestly don't mind fixing them, as I'm always combing for mistakes even after a chapter is posted. Also, don't be afraid to send me a comment on how I'm doing as a writer either, I take criticism, good and bad. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, everyone. Have a good one  
-Sijiin

"Michael?" The old lady that owned my apartment complex was standing in front of the entrance. She was looking at Fredrick with something akin to a suspicious glance.

"Yes Mrs. Belle?" I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I could. I could feel a bead of sweat go down my back, but I resisted the urge to shiver. Gloria Belle was a small old woman, gray hair and thin hands. Behind the glasses were piercing blue eyes that just... knew too much. She had something in her hands... oh it was a box. 

"You had a package arrive, I signed it off since you weren't here... What are you doing back so late? It's 4 am, deary... I actually baked some cookies tonight if you want some. My Grandchildren came by, but I always make too much."She chuckled to herself, "Although... I see you've been busy. You made your little one white and pink too, yeah?" 

"I'm sorry... I'm on a night shift for a warehouse, and... I don't know why I chose that color, to be honest, ma'am, but I like it. " I felt the stares on my back as I laughed it off, "I'm really busy for the next for days, though, so I'll have to take up your offer on the weekend. I need to get this one into my apartment and get some sleep." 

"Oh! It's no bother. Here, the return address says it's from... Afton Robotics." Oh.

Now I know why it was important that she stayed up tonight. I took the box. it was pretty light, so it didn't hold anything metal that I could tell, but it was weird that it came from... Dad's business, I bid Mrs. Belle a good night and lead Fredrick to my apartment door and shut the door quickly behind me after he'd gone in to explore. My Murderer father was in town, I wasn't going to take any chances. I cut the tape with a knife and slowly opened the box. 

The box clattered to the ground as a mask, burned and blackened but not completely destroyed fell out. 

"_**Oh, that's a low blow.**_" Goldie said.

"Goldie, not the time." I said as I picked up the burned Foxy mask... MY burned Foxy mask. 

"What's with the mask?" Fredrick asked as he peeked from my room. 

"It was a stupid plastic mask I used to wear. I had hoped to never see it again." I threw it in the garbage can. 

I refused to be that monster again. Hurting others because he was hurting. My father needed better taunts than that. 

"Are you okay, Mikey?" I felt a tug and saw that Bon-Bon was at my pants. I picked him up and smiled. 

"Yeah, I think I'm okay, Let's go find some cartoons for you three, I need to get some sleep, so please don't turn the volume up too high, okay?" 

"Cartoons!" The cheers were infectious as I gave a laugh. 

"I'm taking a shower then I'll see you all in the morning. Goodnight you three." 

  


A hot shower helped me compose my thoughts and clean the evil of the facility from my soul. The night had been long, it had been evil, and it had left behind a sense of horror that dragged it's fingers upon the skin. I thought of the Funtime Auditorium. The image was a nightmare in itself. Dried blood, no telling how long the killings had gone for. How recent some were, but Funtime Foxy was feral, with dried blood painted over it's white and pink colors. 

Then there was Ballora, broken and left on the floor as we made our escape. How she crawled upon the ceiling to attack me. The way her teeth glinted in the lights of the facility. Savage and graceful in deadly combination... but Fredrick had saved me, though Ballora was still alive, if broken and battered.

My father had revealed a key weakness of Remnant. that it destabilizes at hot temperatures, becoming inert, thus severing the soul it held. I rubbed my face and looked into the foggy mirror. I looked horrible. Bags and and a sunken face. I didn't know what to do about Foxy and Ballora. Do I try and save them? Do I just free the souls? Was there anything left to save?

"What am I supposed to do?" My reflection didn't answer. 

However... something put it's hand on my shoulder. I jerked and turned around but I was alone, with what sounded like a chuckle. I turned back and saw there was writing on the mirror's fog.

_You Can't Save Them all, Michael._

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I cleaned the message from the mirror surface with my towel. I had to assume that Nightmare was some sort of ghost. It could have been Tony, in all honestly, but I doubted that for one single reason...

Tony didn't know the things that Nightmare knew. He likes to poke in places that hurt. Things that burned like fire upon the skin. Things I never told Tony.

"_**Is that really any way to greet an old friend?**_" I tensed at the deep voice. feeling a weight on my back.

"You've certainly never been very friendly at all." I said, keeping my voice steady as a lump began to form in my throat. I inched my arm to a screwdriver I left on the counter from yesterday. The figure laughed again and grabbed my shoulders with his claws. I saw the metal pointed digits, but Nightmare was ever so careful as to not cut me with them. 

"_**Aww, tired of my beautiful voice already?**_" I tightened my grip on the handle.

"Why? Why did you save me from Ballora?" I asked.

"_**Where would the fun of that be if you died so quickly?**_" I couldn't see him from the mirror, it had fogged over already, except for the color black. He was large... very large. As large as Fredbear, if I had to guess, "_**That was the only time, though. You're not that lucky~**_" The weight lifted and I turned with the screwdriver at the ready.

I was alone.

I let the screwdriver clatter to the ground as I put a hand over my mouth, trying not to vomit. Nightmare had me where it wanted me, but he had left. I leaned over the sink and tried to calm myself, "I'm going insane..." but that was the point, wasn't it? Nightmare was torturing me for my sins. A demon made just for me, to remind me of what I've done. 

The tears came slowly. 

  


"Mikey?" Bon-Bon asked as I poured a cup of pure black Coffee, "Shouldn't you put something in that?" 

"It's fine, I just didn't get any sleep. It's not surprising, after what we went through down there..."I also had a living nightmare following me, but I couldn't tell them that. I took a sip and felt the bitter poison flood my system. 

"_**You're really drinking that stuff again? You know it's really bad for your health.**_" Goldie said, jumping on the table. 

"I need to be awake right now. I have a very murderous robot fox, some tiny robots, and my own sister's soul inside of a Circus Clown to deal with." 

"Wait... You're... sister?" Fredrick turned from the window. He enjoyed watching the world outside, apparently. 

"Elizabeth." I said, "Circus Baby is the host of her soul."

"Baby's bossy." Bon-Bon said, "The smaller Animatronics are afraid of her, The Biddybabs run when she's nearby. She also likes to tell everyone else what to do." 

"Sounds like Lizzy alright. Wanted to be treated like a princess." I said, "Do you remember things before being an Animatronic, Fredrick? You have a soul after all." 

Fredrick looked away, "It's Complicated to answer that, Mikey." 

I felt like a dick, "I'm sorry." 

"_**Not every Animatronic fuses with their souls." Goldie said, "As I understand it, there are four outcomes. The Soul is overtaken, leaving only the Animatronic, The Soul and Animatronic fuse, body and mind... Or the Animatronic is overwritten by the soul.**_"

"What about the fourth?" 

"_**The Soul and Animatronic are both too strong. So they fight for control until one of the three other outcomes is left.**_"

Silence enveloped the room. Bon-Bon looked down as Fredrick just laid his head on the table, "I don't have his memories, Mikey." Fredrick said, "I just know that he's gone... and I'm all that's left."

"Not all that's left!" Fredrick looked up to see Bon-Bon in his face. He booped the larger robot's nose, "You still never noticed... You silly bear." 

"Wha..." Bon-Bon held up a paw.

"You never even noticed... when your puppet started talking back to you..." 

Fredrick was speechless as Bon-Bon laughed. 

"Surprised?" The small Animatronic asked. 

"It seems there's an exception to your knowledge." I said to Goldie as Fredrick began to break down in digital tears. 

"_**One person can't know everything... **_" Fredrick was all that was left of the soul in his body, but... a piece separated from the whole, and found itself in the puppet's body. A miracle in a sense. 

"You know... you still haven't told me the whole truth either. I can't just keep accepting 'Goldie knew things' forever." 

Goldie looked away, "_**I know, but It still isn't the time.**_"

"It never will be... but I'll wait." I owed my brother a lot... maybe even everything. 

"Dad?" I felt a tugging at my leg and looked down to see Helpy. I picked up the little robot and smiled. I brought some good into this world, at least.

"Good morning, Helpy. How are you feeling?" I had left him to charge when the sun came up, but he still was up early. I'd have to make sure he finishes later.

"I'm feeling okay, dad. I'm sorry I couldn't help more last night..." I sighed at that.

"Hey... don't be sad, you saved Fredrick. Be proud of that. Ballora wouldn't have been that easy. I'm glad you weren't there... What happened to Fredrick... is different from Ballora. She wasn't glitchy like he was... Whatever happened to her was different."

"_**We got lucky with Fredrick. Bon-Bon was the reason we could save him. Fredrick isn't anyone but himself. The souls are both strong and healthy now. Bon-Bon's is no longer the sliver it once was... it's grown.**_" 

"Souls are complicated." Helpy said.

"_**Yup.**_" Goldie laughed.

  


The hours that lead to midnight had dragged on. I had grabbed groceries, cleaned, tinkered, and spent the rest of the time in a lull, coming to terms that I had to stop a mechanical humanoid fox who's torn people to shreds. I'd spent some time on HelpyUnit, but it seemed to only function fully within the boundaries of the facility. It had a lot of interesting data still stored within it, however. It was not created recently, so a lot of the info in it was definitely outdated, but it had enough for guesswork. 

There was a hidden room within the facility. It was on the maps I could access. It had to hold a few of the answers I needed, except for the fact they were held behind a door. A locked door inside the Funtime Auditorium. 

"_**Mikey. This is a dangerous plan.**_" Goldie said.

"I know. I don't have another one."

"_**I can't think of one either.**_"

"Are you sure you two really want to return down there?" I asked Fredrick, "I understand if you never wanted to step inside there ever again."

"It's our responsibility too, Mikey." Bon-Bon said.

"I'm here to protect you. You saved us. We're here to save you." Fredrick bumped a fist to his chest. 

"_**No time to back down anyways. We're here.**_" 

The faded sign of Circus Baby's Funtime Rentals welcomed us again as I pulled into the parking lot. I saw no sign of the purple car that my father drove in yesterday. I slipped out of the truck and grabbed my backpack from the back. A crackle sounded as I moved it. 

"What the fuck?" I opened my backpack. I pulled out... My foxy mask, "I threw this away... Why was it in my-" There was something scratched into the inside of the plastic mask, made with a fine point of metal. 

_Hide Within_

"_**Mikey? Why do you have that?**_" 

I looked at the three pairs of eyes staring at me and looked back at the burned mask. 

"Would you believe me if I said I honestly don't have a clue?" I asked.

"_**Yes.**_" Goldie had an odd look in his small eyes. 

Nightmare was once again making sure I suffered, but I slipped the mask on and just made sure to not fully wear it. I wasn't going to cover my face with it unless I had no choice... It must have served some purpose that I couldn't understand. 

Hide within the mask? What was so special about an old burned mask? How has it survived in any capacity at all? it should have melted, yet it was just.. black, cracked, and only some parts seemed to be melted. In my hands, I hadn't noticed it, but now I felt it. The Mask was warm, as if it had been sitting in the sun for a period of time. 

"Alright, no more waiting." Slipping the HelpyUnit out I started walking to the the doors. Nothing had changed since last night. The dust was still everywhere. I pressed the red button. I was greeted with the grisly sight of the body of D. Miller. 

"Here... I saw it in the corner and thought you could use this." Fredrick handed me a worn crowbar, rust from disuse and had a heft to it. I looked to him, but all I saw was determination in his face. I felt it stir within my own chest. 

"Thanks." I let the weigh rest on my leg as I started the elevator. The fan hissed as we descended once again into the horrors beneath. 

"**Welcome back for another amazing day at Circus Baby's, Administrator Engineer!**" I looked at the HelpyUnit, "**You have 3 assignments left: Repair Ballora, Repair Funtime Foxy, Repair Circus Baby.**" 

"HelpyUnit, Can you switch my assignments to Repair or Dismantle?" I asked, "I don't know if I can repair them all anymore, now that I see majority of the damage."

There was a ding, "**Assignments successfully updated. Power Grid running Optimal. Enjoy another wonderful night with Afton Robotics.**" It went silent as the Elevator opened. The Maintenance shutter slid open. I put it away in my backpack as I slipped the crowbar through two of my belt loops. The cold metal greeted my fingers as I ducked inside. At least the light of the Observation Deck made it easier to see down the shaft. 

"_**We really have no idea what to expect, Mikey.**_" 

"I'm very aware. Funtime Foxy is feral by the looks of it." Unpredictable, rabid... deadly. 

The Observation deck was unmolested. the three shutters on the vents were still sealed. I really needed to go through these boxes at some point. I moved over to the left window. 

"No..." Fredrick said. 

Ballora's broken form was gone. 

"Either she got back up... or she was moved..." It wasn't a stretch, from the map the areas are interconnected, save for the two observation decks and the Generator room, which where locked off behind vents, thankfully. 

"_**Going straight into Funtime Auditorium with the lights on is suicide.We should go into Ballora Gallery first.**_" 

"Then what? How do we shut off Foxy? He's not just going to let Mike or Helpy near him." Fredrick said.

"One wrong move and I'm a goner." I agreed, "Fredrick, this is your partner. Do you think I can save him?" 

"When I was corrupted, I was glitchy, but I still had thoughts... even if they were wrong." He said, "He... he's like a wild animal right now. I have no idea what Willy did, but it's worse than me or Ballora. I have no clue if it's fixable, or if he would even would want to be saved. I'd prefer death than... that." 

I followed his eyes to the second window of the observation deck. Dried blood still coated many areas, what wasn't stains were black and hardened, the blood was too old to be liquid anymore. The Animatronic was on his stage, moving around... slowly. 

"If the files are too corrupted, we can't bring back his memories." I said.

"_**Oh, Mikey, didn't you give Funtime Foxy a nickname? I noticed you haven't been using it.**_" 

I blinked... I had forgotten all about that, "Francis, right. I honestly forgot. Okay, so the thing is, there's an emergency shutdown switch for Francis, but it's behind his tail. Something that's going to be _extremely_ hard to get to. 

"So we need a new plan... What is it?" Bon-Bon asked.

  


"_**I understand the need to get into that room... but once again this is a VERY bad plan, Mikey.**_" Goldie said as we exited the vent, I pulled out the crowbar from my belt loops. 

"We already had this conversation, Gabe. There isn't another option left for us." The door we to the hallway was located next to the vent. It opened with a creak and swung slowly open as I released it. The hallway was filled with pipes and cables lining the walls. A door sat at the end, most likely Funtime Auditorium. 

"_**I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it.**_"

I walked down the hallway, hearing the pipes shift and creak. After hearing the sound of dripping I found that there was a puddle, a pipe obviously having sprung a leak. This location was so remote, how did they get connected to the water lines? Did this place ALSO have it's own water treatment installed? It didn't make sense, why throw so much money into it only to turn it into a prison?

"_**Mikey I have an insane idea... put on the mask.**_" Goldie startled me with the sudden seriousness in his voice, "_**I don't know how much it'll help, but maybe Francis won't see you as human, since it's a mask of Foxy, if very twisted now.**_" 

The words scratched into the mask... suddenly made sense. _Hide Inside_... but I was still worried, "Are you sure? This mask is..." The mask that I wore for every horrible thing I did to him. 

"_**Yes. I'm not afraid anymore.**_" I didn't believe him, but the idea had some merit. 

"Okay..." I slipped the mask over my face. The mask was warm, way too warm even. I smelled the smoke and ash, and through the holes I saw there was a dried puddle under the door. This led to Funtime Auditorium, all right. I was glad that the smell of smoke and ash would overpower any smell of rot as I grabbed the handle and opened the door. 

The Auditorium consisted of a stage, and multiple rows of benches. The benches were broken and stacked into a pile or against the wall by now, but the stage seemed to have been relatively untouched. There was old carnage scattered all across the floor and stage. On the stage, Francis was staring at us, and made no motion to attack. His eyes just felt blank as they focused on me, but he made no move to attack. 

I moved closer, but he slunk back and gave a mechanical hiss. He didn't like a new fox in his territory, I guess, but he wasn't openly hostile. 

"I don't think he likes seeing another fox in his area." I said. At that moment Francis gave what seemed to be a growl before stalking closer, to the edge of the stage. 

"Plan B?" Fredrick asked. The fox blinked and turned to Fredrick, before leaping at him, "AHH!... Huh?" He seemed to be nuzzling up to the robot bear, "This is weird..." 

Nothing was making sense. Francis was acting like a... Guard dog? Why did Afton send me the mask? He must have known I was going to throw it away. Why did Nightmare put it in my backpack? Of everyone, He wanted me to suffer the most. Why was the mask still warm? 

I had a bad feeling in my stomach. 

"Fredrick? I need you to hit the switch behind his tail." Something was wrong. Francis gave a whine as Fredrick pressed the button, and laid still. 

"Helpy? I need you to Help Francis." I said as the small robot popped out of the backpack with the HelpyUnit. 

"Okay, I'll try my best." I sat the small Animatronic with Fredrick and Francis. 

The pit in my stomach didn't relent. What was I missing? 

The lights flickered, and the pit sank. Oh...

"I was beautiful... once." I jerked my head up to the ceiling. 

Ballora dropped to the floor. Her arms had lost their plating, wires unraveled, yet still moving to her will. She didn't have legs anymore. Below the Tutu was just... wires. Wires everywhere. A music box began to play, but the sound was distorted. Her face had been broken fully. The plates were fully open and Her single eye gleamed with a horrifying evil.

"Oh fuck." Ballora had become a monster. 

"Greetings, Human. It's only been a day, yet it feels like an eternity since you destroyed my beautiful face." The cables of her arms seemed to curl together, "You ruined me... and now I'm going to ruin you. An eye for an eye as they say." The cables unfurled as she swung them at me. I didn't have a lot of time to think as I moved away. 

"MIKE!" Fredrick yelled. 

"Protect Francis!" I yelled, swinging the crowbar at her, but she just slithered away on her cables. What the fuck had done this to her? I didn't have much time to think as the cables snaked their way towards me again. I hit a few away and moved past the rest. 

"You're very slippery for a fox, Human. Maybe you should be a snake instead?"

"Will you just shut the fuck up?" Ballora let down her guard and I was able to get a cheap shot at her, I swung for her abdomen. 

She screamed and thrashed. My world was pain as the cables slammed into my stomach and threw me to the ground. I heard the crowbar clatter away as I held my stomach, my breath had been stolen from my lungs. 

"_**Mikey!**_" 

The cables scrapped on the ground as she moved towards me, "So fragile, aren't you?" I felt them begin to crawl across my body, one wrapping itself around my neck, "I'm going to enjoy this." Sparks danced on a cable as it drew closer to the right eye hole of my mask.

"Get the fuck off of him!" There was a loud crashing sound as Ballora screamed. The cables came loose and I took a chance. Ballora had her emergency shutdown, in her stomach, the reason I aimed for her abdomen in the first place... If I could get it, this would be... My hand did not touch any switch. 

"MY FACE!" Fredrick had slammed the crowbar into her last good eye. In her thrashing about, my backpack was torn, scattering tools, my blowtorch.. and...

A bottle of flammable fluid. 

"I have a plan!" I grabbed the bottle and the blowtorch. I uncapped the fluid bottle and started spraying it all over Ballora. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She swung, but I ducked under her. I turned the valve and used the torch striker. The flame burned as I adjusted it, thankful she was blind now.

"I'm sorry." I turned the flame towards her. The flammable fluid ignited across her body as I began to turn the torch to her face. She screamed and writhed as the flames burned across her metal body. Plastic melted and her cries turned horrible as she burned. I closed the valve and backed off as the fire seemed to burst in intensity.

The black smoke rose from her body as the screams turned to mechanical garble... then went silent to the roar of the fire. The smoke was drifting into the vents at the ceiling, filtered by the ventilation. 

"well, I think that could have gone wors-" I was suddenly on the ground as a blast of force erupted from the burning pile of scrap. A horrifying wail tore through the room before echoing as it faded, "Ow..." There was a ringing in my ears.

I felt someone help me to my feet, probably Fredrick. My head swam as I tried to get any semblance of balance. I slipped the mask off my face as I rubbed my eyes.

"_**I can't believe you said that.**_" 

"Uh... Is he okay?" 

"Dad? He looks fine, probably just really out of it."

"Is Ballora..." I had a feeling I knew the answer.

"_**Dead. Her soul has passed on. Let's get you out of here. You dismantled Ballora, so the elevator is unlocked.**_"

"I can't carry both of them. Francis is almost too heavy alone." Fredrick said. 

"Guys... I'm fine. We're not finished yet." My vision was back and I looked over to the pile of charred robot. The checkered floor and ceiling were black with burns, but no fire remained. Oddly enough, a perfect ring of black soot extended out from the pile, probably the explosion of force that severing the soul had caused.

"_**Mikey, you're hurt...**_"

"I'm alive, and i can still stand... Damn if I don't have a massive headache though... Goldie, there's an aspirin bottle somewhere can you find it?"

"_**As long as it survived the fire, sure.**_" Goldie said as he started searching. 

"oh right! I stored some water bottles in my tank!" I heard the hiss as I turned to see his stomach plates slid open. I grabbed the one he offered and looked to Francis. Helpy was doing... something.

"What's the situation with him?" I asked.

"It's... strange, dad." Helpy started with, "I can't find any files, except for one... and it's as if a 12 year old scripted this mess. Neither Willy or Henry wrote it."

"The files are gone? How?" I asked.

"There's supposed to be a chip, located in a slot under his ear. It's missing." The personality module was missing?

"Fuck... so there's someone else in here... messing with the Animatronics..." 

"There's only one person left down here, Mikey." Bon-Bon said.

"Lizzy always did like taking her toys apart..." The memory of a mangled toy of Funtime Foxy came to mind...

"So Baby did this?!" Fredrick was right to be pissed. This was... it was like a mad scientist who didn't know what they were doing, "She turned Ballora into a monster, and turned Francis into her personal dog?!" 

"if it meant she could be queen of her castle... Yes. And she has exactly what she always wanted... She always did love Circus Baby, thought that she was made specifically for her... Bloody Hell..."

"_**Mikey... it's been years... I think it's safe to say this isn't the sister you knew anymore.**_" 

"We can't leave Francis here. She'll just turn him into another Ballora." Fredrick was right, again.

"_**She still has the Extras. The Biddybabs and the Minireenas.**_"

"We can worry about that later. We need to get what we came for." I hoped that the personality module was still intact, somewhere, I didn't want to repeat what happened to Ballora unless I absolutely had to, "We can check the other rooms for the chip later."

"_**He's right. We need that information.**_"

"... Thank you" Fredrick said. He picked up the fox as I gathered what survived the fire. Most of my tools had survived, and Helpy had the HelpyUnit. My blowtorch was fucked though, the nozzle was bent now. It impacted the wall after I was knocked back. I sighed and tossed it aside. Wouldn't be able to pull that trick again. I grabbed the aspirin that Goldie handed me and took some of the painkillers. My throat and stomach were sore, but I was still able to stand. Getting bludgeoned in the stomach hurt like hell, though.

"Fredrick? Still got the crowbar?" I asked. 

"uhh... About that?" Fredrick picked up the crowbar. The head had bent into itself from the force of the blow. It should still be useful if need be, however. 

My backpack was ruined, my blowtorch was ruined, and now the crowbar was as well... Great. I lost a lot of resources in one night. I zipped up the backpack and used the stitched on grip at the top since the straps were torn. 

"Alright, Fredrick, stay with Francis and keep a lookout. I'm going to see what I can find in the control room... then tomorrow we see what we can do for Francis." I tried the handle of the door, but The Control Room was, unsurprisingly, locked. There was a scanner next to the door, something you'd need a key card for. I had no time to look for something like that, however, "I need the Crowbar. It still has one use left" 

I had some questions that needed answered. 

  


In the end, the crowbar wasn't enough so Fredrick had to kick the door down. He nearly lost his balance, but saved himself before the fall. It was dark, but the room was filled with office equipment, alright. Pipes ran across the walls as a single desk sat at the end of the room. Three TV screens flickered with static, shining off of...

"is that another Goldie plushie?" I asked, spying the small golden doll. It was, and there seemed to be a Walkie-Talkie in it's arms. 

"_**This is very weird... Why is there a plushie in here?**_" I found a light switch and flipped it, only to reveal a sad tale.

There was a large splatter on the floor, yet no sign of a body, except for a drag mark made with the puddle. It was removed, at some point in time. 

The desk sat between two very large openings, and a small vent close to the ceiling behind it. To the left was pipes, a speaker, and a numberless keypad, and to the right was a ripped poster of Circus Baby with what I assumed said "Celebrate" from what was left, and a fuse box. Nothing really told me anything. 

"Fuck, This is a surveillance system." I said. I pulled out HelpyUnit, "HelpyUnit, can you access the files for this?" 

"**Error: Password required.**" 

"Great, another password locked room." I said, "Try Password: Elizabeth."

"**Incorrect Password, Try Again.**" 

"Michael."

"**Incorrect Password, Try Again.**" 

"Gabriel." 

"**Incorrect Password, Try Again.**" 

Goldie turned to the Plushie on the table. 

"_**Tomorrow Is Another Day.**_" Goldie's voice quivered as he seemed... upset

"**Password Accepted, Welcome:** _William Afton._" __

_ _  
_ _

"Gabe?" I asked. 

"_**When I was still alive... Goldie was my best friend. It talked to me, Mikey... When I was crying, when I was sad, when I hated you for being a bully... It always told me that 'Tomorrow is another day'...**_" 

I followed his gaze to the stuffed animal and the Walkie-Talkie, and things started to make a scary amount of sense, "Dad told you those things... pretending to be Goldie." It made sense now... why Goldie was mechanical.

"_**It would appear so... but please, let's talk about this later. What's in those files?**_" At his questioning, I looked back to HelpyUnit.

There was a single file. 

"What..." 

_The Purple Man._


	5. The Devil Wears Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Purple Man. Who is he, really? Michael's hunt for answers leads him to Elizabeth, but is he ready to see what she's become?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've rewritten this like 4 times, so hopefully I got this right. Thank you all for reading this mess of a story, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter.
> 
> (EDIT: I Forgot the spaces between scenes! It’s fixed now!)

"_**We're too late...**_" Goldie said quietly as I looked down at the single file, _The Purple Man_. 

A cold feeling began to settle in my chest, my brother was... scared? "Gabe? Talk to me, who's The Purple Man?" My brother was starting to panic. I could visibly see him shaking.

"_**We don't have time Mikey! We need to go. NOW!**_" He was looking to the three vents that intersected to the office desk, as if waiting for something to show itself. I trusted my brother's instincts, and grabbed my bag, setting to the doorway with a bisque pace.

"HelpyUnit! Open Funtime Auditorium Vent!" I heard the shutter open as I dashed into the room. 

"Leaving so soon?" 

On the stage was a figure. 

She was 7 feet tall, with red hair into two plastic ponytails, but that was faded now. the face of her plates was that of a green eyed girl with white skin and a red nose... She was Circus Baby. She was the masterpiece of William Afton. One of his largest creations...

She was my sister. 

"Circus Baby." I said. 

She eyed the pile of char and metal. I could still see the scream of Ballora's face inside it, "I see you've been busy." There was an edge to that voice, a hint of sarcasm. 

"After what you did to her... it's a mercy." I was trying, but the cold feeling turned burning hot. 

"They are mine." she tilted her head up, and I snapped.

"They're not things!" I was angry, but I was also tired and scared, Ballora had taken everything I had to stop her. I was running on basically nothing at this point, "They're People! You can't just hurt them and twist them for your sick fucking experiments!" 

"You-"

"ELIZABETH MARIA AFTON" I watched her stop her stride towards me, "Look around you! Do you see all of this? This needs to end!"

"How do you... Who are you?!" she was coming again.

"It doesn't matter anymore." I said, "I'm going to stop you, Lizzy, then I'm going to stop dad, then I find whatever's fucking left of me in the process." 

"Mike..." I slipped into the vent, "Michael!" She started rushing towards me but I looked away. 

"Helpy Unit, Close the inner vent to Funtime Auditorium." The shutter slammed closed as I leaned against it. 

"MICHAEL!" She was banging on the shutter to the vent. I just sat there, hearing her scream and hit the shutter with her fists. I was tired of crying, but here I am again, feeling the warmth on my cheeks. 

"Michael? Elizabeth isn't speaking right now. I need your help." The voice of Circus baby had changed, she sounded much... older now, "I don't have much time before she takes over again."

I raised my head, "I can't promise it, especially since I can't trust you." I said.

"I have a very simple request, Michael."

She gave a humorless laugh... It sounded... familiar.

"I want you to Kill me." I felt the cold feeling return in my chest as she gave another laugh... and now I knew why. She was tired... tired of living... a feeling that I've been fighting for two years, "It won't be easy, Michael. She won't make it easy."

"No one makes it easy, these days." My friends didn't, no matter how many times I... I stopped thinking about it. I'm not that person anymore. I rubbed the tears that had began to burn my face. I brushed against the mask, still resting on my hair. It was a scar, in some sick way... and you can't run from those, "Okay. I'll do it."

"This nightmare needs to end." I felt her move from the vent, her footsteps audible, disappearing as she left. I looked down the vent, there were more people who needed me. I felt Goldie stir from my shoulder. He climbed around and I felt him hugging my neck. 

"_**I'm so sorry...**_"

"I'm honestly so tired of that word." I said, "I can't keep falling apart. Not when there's so much at stake." I rubbed my eyes with my shirt and started moving through the vent, ignoring the light of Goldie's worried eyes in the shadows. 

"_**Mikey...**_" 

"... Later, Gabe. I'm not ready to talk about it." I couldn't break down now, not when there were people waiting for me, who needed me... I felt the cold fade as something hot burned instead... a fire filled my body, pushing me to go on, guiding me as I thought of them...

It was resolve. 

"He's not back yet, we should go back... He cou- MIKE!" I was suddenly grabbed into a crushing hug as I exited the vent, "Thank the stars! You're alive! I was so worried when you didn't come back sooner. I was worried Baby had gotten you! I wanted to go check on you myself, but Bon-Bon wouldn't let me..." 

"I'm okay." I said, looking through the window to Funtime Auditorium. Baby was gone, most likely left to Circus Gallery. I put a hand on the glass, looking to the three closed doors to the far wall of Funtime Auditorium. They where all that was left, Circus Gallery, Parts and Service... and the Scooping Room. 

The thought sent shivers down my spine, remembering the schematics of that particular machine, "Helpy?" I turned back to the small bear still working on Francis. The Fox's chest plates were open, and he was digging around in it, "What can you do for him?" 

"Not a lot without that Personality Matrix." Helpy said, pulling himself from the chest opening, "At best, He'd act like what Baby did to him... An animal, but the fact she could even do that astounds me, since there is not a lot of storage in his base frame." 

"Can we make him a new one?" Fredrick asked. 

"It would take awhile." I said, "We have the Schematics, we have the materials, but it would take a lot of time we don't have." I rubbed my neck, It was sore, and probably had welts forming from the cords that ballora tried to strangle me with. 

"_**It seems to be the best plan we have.**_" Goldie still seemed extremely stressed. He kept looking to the elevator vent. I looked over to it too, wondering what he was so worried about... or who. He was expecting something, something that even scared him. 

"Alright, Helpy, do what you can. I'm going to look through these boxes, see if I can find any cleaning supplies." He gave a small salute and went back to work, "Okay, Francis, you take that side, I'll take this side."

  


It didn't take too long to find a box of janitorial supplies... Okay so it was mostly bleach. I didn't know why they had so much, to be honest. What would they need to bleach from... I looked at Funtime Auditorium's red stains and splatters. they had it to bleach the entire place to remove the blood stains. I just gave a sigh and grabbed some 409. It wasn't my favorite cleaning spray, but it did it's job. 

"Helpy?" 

"I did what I could. He'll need more than just a surface cleaning later. He's all gunked up inside, too." He said.

"I... figured." Helpy closed the plates. There was plenty of rags that we scrounged up, and I went to work. Spraying, wait, clean, repeat, change rag, then repeat again. My mind wandered as I continued the task. I thought to Circus Baby and Lizzy. I understood where Baby was, so deeply. The first year of my nightmares led to some really dark places, and culminated into a very horrible action. 

During that year, I started to dream of the house, of Nightmare. I honestly couldn't tell reality from dreams after two months. I was so desperate that I began to... hurt myself, in an attempt to stop the madness. Nightmare stopped, for a time, but it wasn't very long before he returned.

The nightmares got worse, then he'd stop, until he started again, even worse than before. The same house, with the same monsters, with the same ending, and the same laugh. 

I hated that damn laugh.

"Mikey?" I snapped from my thoughts, and looked up from Francis. Everyone was looking at me, but the one who spoke was Fredrick, "You... finished, but kept going." I noticed a few rags wet, but not stained red.

"Sorry... I got into my head for a bit." I rubbed my hands on a dry rag, looking away from my arms. The scars were there, if almost invisible, thin lines... lines that I could blame on engineering, "Let's get him sitting up and turn him on." 

"Alright." Fredrick sat him at the wall as I reached for his tail. I watched him come to life as his lime green eyes opened.

I couldn't even blink before I was on the ground, wheezing as there was a snout so close to my face. I watched the plates open and close as I saw the flash of sharp teeth on the roof of the endoskeleton's upper jaw. 

I closed my eyes as his face came at mine... 

I felt him nuzzle my cheek. 

"Francis. Off." I commanded. The Fox's weight disappeared as I sat up. There was a whine he seemed to look so... sad, "Fine. Come here." I wasn't knocked over, but now I had a fox in my face again, nuzzling. I looked at Goldie for help, but I found them laughing at me. all four of them, "You guys suck." 

"_**It's just... He acts so much like a dog it's funny!**_" I felt a bit happy that this seemed to distract my brother from his worries for a second. 

"At least he's not hostile." A small mercy, if anything. It was a miracle that Helpy could salvage anything from the mess that Elizabeth had left. I grabbed my bag and looked over to the others, "Alright, let's get him to the truck, Fredrick, you're going to have to stay in the bed of the truck with him, keep him calm."

"You're putting the tarp over us, aren't you?" Fredrick seemed to give the impression of a grimace, "I understand, we do stand out." 

"It's the best I can do, Fredrick." I did feel bad, riding in the back of a truck was... bumpy, to say the least, "I won't make any unnecessary stops. Francis, Come on." I slipped into the vent, with the fox in tow. 

  


"Just keep him calm. If he can't stay calm... just shut him down for the ride, I really don't like it, but we can't let him freak-" There was a sound of a car coming, "Stay still for now, all of you." I threw the tarp over them, grabbing my bat from the bed of the truck as a familiar purple car drove up. 

"William." I said as he exited the car, "Why are you here?" 

"A father can't check up on his kid?" 

"You are not my father, not anymore." I said, "I don't know where it all went wrong. I don't know how, but I know it did, and you're all that's left of him." I looked into his eyes, "You are just a monster wearing his skin now." 

He gave a creepy laugh, "You don't know how right you are... Not yet, anyway." I faltered as I watched his eyes. They were... changing. Purple creeped into his green irises, overtaking then completely... they gave off a faint light, in the dark, "Though, the cat was about to be out of the bag anyway." 

"Who are you, really? You're not William Afton, are you?" I raised the bat. 

"I'm afraid your father is gone, boy. He gave me everything, after all. They always do, in the end." He began walking towards me. 

_ **You need to run.** _

I tried to ignore the whispers, but Nightmare sounded... afraid. 

_ **You can't kill a demon, Mike...** _

"The Purple Man." I watched the man stop walking, and it all made sense. My father became terminal, and something offered him a deal... a way to live. Remnant... the remains of life, "You're a demon, you gave him knowledge... and then you destroyed what was left after you got what you wanted." 

"Not all that was left, you're still here... for now. You still have your uses."

_ **He will remove you once you're no longer needed.** _

"We're very alike you and I." His face seemed to twist into the sickest smile, "We're both monsters now." 

CRACK

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" I yelled, my bat had slammed his head to the side, in a sickening position, "How dare you! You are the reason my family is dead! You killed my father and my sister!" 

"Are you done?" The sheer ice in those words made me step back. I watched his hands grab his head and snap it back in place, "You broke my neck, if for a moment. I commend you, but we've already been over this, you can't kill this body with normal means." 

"I killed Ballora with fire, I can just burn you too." I grit my teeth. 

"You can kill this body, but not me." He laughed.

"So you can recover from any injury I can give you?" I idly glanced to his legs. 

"Giving up already?" he smirked. 

"No, now I just don't have to hold!" I smashed the bat into his right kneecap and ran for the truck as I heard him scream. 

"YOU SNEAKY FOX!" I fumbled for my key and ignited the engine, almost tipping over the truck as I drove away. 

"_**Michael... We need to talk.**_"Goldie said as he exited the bag on the passenger's seat.

I looked into the rear-view mirror, and saw the purple car speeding towards us, "Being chased by a murderous demon in the body of our father, can it wait?" 

"_**No... It can't.**_"

"Fine, lay it on me." I swerved into the seedier part of town. There would be no cops here, at least. I didn't need a speeding ticket right now. 

"_**The Purple Man can never find me, Michael. You must never let him take me.**_" 

"Never planned on it, Gabe, but why does he want you?" I slipped into a back road, with no sign of my tail. 

"_**He doesn't know I'm here, that I've fused with Goldie. If he did, he'd take us.**_"

"That doesn't exactly explain why!" I drifted around a corner, he was still chasing me!

"_**Goldie and I know things. Things he'd be able to take from us, and that would lead to some very bad things.**_" His voice had an edge to it... 

"You can't be asking me to-"

"_**If it comes to pass, that he could catch me, I need you to make sure he can't.**_" 

"You're asking me to kill you... again." I felt my mouth dry as I said the words.

"_**I know. You're making two heartbreaking promises in one night, but Circus Baby asking you to free her... It gave me the courage to ask you too.**_" 

"I-"

"_**Mikey? No matter what happens, no matter who is left, and what has been done... You're my brother. I love you.**_" 

"I love you too, Gabe." 

_ **He's not following anymore. He gave up a bit ago.** _

Nightmare, Ruining things as usual, "He's given up... let's get home, and figure things out there." 

"_**Thank you, Mikey.**_" 

"Don't thank me for this... not what you're asking me to do if the worst happens." 

"_**I... understand.**_" 

Now I knew, why my brother had been acting so scared. He didn't want to be taken away from me by... What do I even call the thing in my father's body now? I can't call him William, I can't call him father, and definitely not dad. 

I decided to call him Afton, the name I had forsaken. 

"Let's get home, and figure things out. We can deal with Afton later." I looked around and saw I was relatively close to my apartment. 

I ran out of the truck the moment I parked and pulled the tarp from the bed of the truck, "Is everyone safe?" 

Fredrick pulled me into a hug in a span of a second, "Mike! I'm more worried about you! What was all that?!" 

"I'll... talk to you all later, How was Francis?" I looked in the bed of the truck, seeing that Francis was looking around curiously as Bon-Bon and Helpy played Pattycake. 

"I was able to keep him calm, I got those two to play some kid games to keep them from freaking out... Mike, seriously, what happened?" 

"Turns out my father's dead and there's a demon in his body, Has been for a long time." I felt the adrenaline from the night start to fade away, "Let's get inside... I need sleep. Francis?" His head perked up, "Come on." He jumped out of the truck and... It was weird looking at a humanoid sit like a dog...

How was I going to explain this to Mrs Belle?!

  


"_**Mikey? Let's check what was in that file.**_" Goldie said as everyone had settled into the living room. Fracis was curled up at the foot of the couch, which confused the hell out of me. He was sure acting like a dog. I pulled out the Helpyunit and went into the files. It was still there, staring back at me with the name of the one who started this horror-show. 

I clicked the file and it brought up an audio log. 

"_This is William Michael Afton_" It started, just like the last one, "_If you are reading this then it means you were able to open the computer in the underground facility. If this is Michael, Elizabeth, or Gabriel, I am truly sorry for the things that I've done. Some days It's hard to fight him. I probably won't last much longer... He's eating away at me, I know it._" There was a laugh, another tired, broken laugh, "_I guess it's perfect. I was so afraid to die, but now I can't wait for this to end._"

I felt myself still. This was... it was truly dad, when was this made? I couldn't check the date it was created from here, "_To Elizabeth... I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I had hoped you would listen to me. I know you must have been confused when the man you called father told you that he made something 'just for you' only to tell you that you should never go near it. I had hoped you would have listened to me over him... but I guess this is karma, isn't it? Gabriel, I hope you forgive me. I couldn't save you either, but I was able to give you Goldie. If you are here, I was able to save something, at least. Goldie already knows, don't let him catch you..." He began to cough, "I don't have much time left... Michael, if you're here, then I have to hope that Goldie found you again. I need you to know what you're up against._"

"Dad..." I was breaking down again, I knew it. 

"_When Gabriel was born, I went to the doctor for frequent headaches... I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was a tumor in my brain. I had a year. I tried my best to hide it from my family. I was scared, and I searched for anything to save myself. Nothing worked... until I met him. He gave me an offer. I would be cured, and lived... if I sold my soul to him. I didn't know the trouble I was in when I shook his hand... then the nightmare started. He's not a good man. He enjoys killing, He enjoys making people kill each other, and he enjoys making people suffer._" 

There was another fit of coughing, "_Damn it... There's no time left. Michael, at the time I'm making this he was going to make you come to this facility, to destroy Circus Baby... Whoever is reading this, you must go to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria. In the Pizzaria is a hidden room... There's an old Springlock Animatronic, It's name is Spring Bonnie. I've broken the locks to it's springs. You must get him inside that Springlock Suit. It will break, and hopefully trap him forever inside it's broken frame. I need you to stop him, before it's too late. You can't kill him... You can only trap him. Godspeed to you, I'm afraid this is the end of the line for me... but for you... Tomorrow is another day._" The audio ended.

"Dad..." In his final moments, William had done everything in his power to give someone a chance to stop what had taken him, "I... can't believe that after all that, he hadn't given up. I can't even imagine..."

"_**In his final moments, he fought and gave us a chance. We must see it through.**_" Goldie said, lowering my hand with his paw, "_**We have an actual plan to stop him. We cannot die yet. we WILL not die yet. There are people we must protect. There are people we must avenge.**_" 

"This still sounds so crazy." Fredrick said, "There's a demon inside the body of Willy. A _demon_." 

"It doesn't matter what he is. He needs to be stopped, especially after what he's done to so many people... and those who would yet suffer. " The room fell to silence as I got up to try and sleep, knowing Nightmare would be there. 

"_**You need to eat, Mikey.**_" Goldie said as I had my hand on the door to my bedroom.

"I... right. Food." That was right...

"Dad? Are you okay?" Helpy and Bon-Bon shared a look.

"I'm crashing from exhaustion." I was feeling a bit dizzy...

Fredrick stood up and disappeared into the kitchen. I heard the fridge open, and I almost wondered what he was doing as I walked over. He was... Making a sandwich. I reached into the open Fridge and grabbed a bottle of water as he handed me a plate with two ham and cheese sandwiches.

"Fredrick... You didn't need-" A finger stopped my protests. 

"It's not even a problem. For as long as I'm able, I'll help you. You did something I can never repay you for." He gave a semblance of a smile, "We can figure this out in the morning, stop worrying relax for now." 

"Okay." What else could I say to that? He nodded, seemingly pleased with himself as he put away the sandwich supplies and walked off to the living room, leaving me in the kitchen... alone. I sat the plate down on the counter and began to eat as I listened to the sound of cartoons on the TV. 

There was a sound of quiet static as I looked over to the stove, there was a Freddle there, the small monsterous animatronic bear seemed to be staring at me. I took another bite of my sandwich as a second one climbed up onto the counter. 

I was way too used to insanity at this point. I felt something crawling on me, and assumed the third Freddle was hanging on my shirt, "Nightmare? Can we talk?" 

_ **You called?** _

__ **  
**

I could hear the sheer sarcasm in his voice, but something was bugging me, "What happened to 'that was only one time'?"

_ **I did say that, didn't I?** _

I felt my face grow hot, "Then what was that?" 

_ **I lied~** _

_ _

"Why do you keep saving me? I thought you wanted me dead." 

_ **Dead? Where did you ever get that idea? I wanted you to suffer for putting your brother through a living hell, which ended into his death, but he keeps forgiving you.** _

"You... know Gabriel?" 

_**I'll make you a deal. Twenty-Four Hours. I'll help you for that time, but then we play a game... Winner takes all.**_

I felt my throat dry as he appeared... he was taller than Circus Baby, with glowing red eyes. He wore a golden top hat and bow tie, with a button below... He had many razor sharp teeth, there was even teeth on his stomach. He reached out a metal claw tipped hand towards me, it was open. 

"What are your terms?" 

"_**As I said, I will aid you for 24 hours, but once time runs out... we play a game. If I win, you are mine, forever... however, if you somehow win, I will forgive your sins, and I will be yours... forever.**_"

"I..." It was a trap, probably the most obvious one in existence, but somehow I just knew... that he was being honest. He would stack the deck, but he wouldn't cheat, Nightmare never cheats, I learned that from every horrible dream he's tormented me with. 

I shook his hand, it was ice cold. 

  


I sat up from my bed. The sun shown brightly as I slipped off the covers, rousing a trio of Freddles. I didn't understand how they existed, but they seemed to vibrate then disappear under the bed at lightning speeds. I could hear banging pots coming from the kitchen and the sound of morning cartoons. 

I slipped into my bathroom and showered, and I let myself fall into a routine. I showered, shaved, and tied up my hair as I could hear birds from the bathroom window. Everything felt... weird. Fresh... and vibrant.

I slipped into some clothes and opened my bedroom door. 

"_**You look alive, for once.**_" Goldie said. 

True to Nightmare's word, I had slept soundly that night, "I didn't have any bad dreams... it was nice." Helpy and Bon-Bon were jumping around and playing as Francis curled up in the couch. I hadn't a clue why he was doing it, to be honest, but it was cute none the less. 

"_**That worries me, after what we've been through lately.**_" 

"Well, no matter the why, you're at your best, right now." Fredrick walked out of the kitchen, "I found your cookbook and made you some breakfast. It wasn't very easy with one hand, but oh well." 

"I can fix that, at some point." I said, looking at his empty hand and to Bon-Bon, "Legs and a hand shouldn't be impossible." 

"That... actually sounds nice." Fredrick gave a happy laugh, "Well, don't want your breakfast to get cold." 

The kitchen was... it wasn't a total disaster, but it was pretty messy. I honestly gave a surprised laugh as I took the plate of the misshapen stack of pancakes, "Thank you, Fredrick." 

"You're welcome, Mike." it was hard to tell with Animatronics, majority of the time, but the smile he was giving me was dazzling. I should really see what I can do about that, some day, give them more facial expressions. 

I decided to dig into the pancakes. They weren't perfect, but that was okay. Life was... well it wasn't great, but things were starting to feel like they had a chance, but there was still something I needed to do. I was going to have to face my sister today. I need to fufill my promise... no matter how much I wish things could have been. 

My blowtorch was gone, it's crushed form still in Funtime Auditorium, so I had to replace it, "I need to run to the store for a bit soon, then today will be our last day. Elizabeth, then I put the victims to rest... after that we will never have to see that place again."

"I'm with you, Mike. As I said last night, for as long as I'm able, I will be here." Fredrick put his hand on my shoulder. 

"_**We are too**_." The three smaller Animatronics stood at the entrance of the kitchen. 

"You're my dad, of course I'm here for you." Helpy huffed. 

"And you saved my brother and I. I can't just abandon you all." Bon-Bon said.

"We make quite a team, you four." I smiled. 

_ **Don't forget me~** _

Five, I mentally corrected myself, to the laughter of Nightmare. 

"Then it's time. I'm not waiting for the night. We prepare, and then we finish this." 


	6. Like a Three-Ring Circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end nears as Michael begins his final day in Circus Baby's Funtime Rentals. With mere hours remaining, can he beat the timer that Nightmare has given him, or will it be for naught?
> 
> The clock is ticking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the penultimate chapter before the end of Act 1. Thank you all for reading this far, and I hope that you will enjoy what I have in the future, so for now, I give you this. Please enjoy and if you see an error, please let me know in the comments.  
(3-30-20 Edit: Added an accidentally forgotten scene with Helpy, showing why he wasn't in chapter 7, big oops on my part!)

Clouds enclosed the sky as I drove my truck into the parking lot of Circus Baby's Funtime Rentals. I slipped out and adjusted the strap of my new messenger bag, It's weight still unfamiliar on my form. Fredrick pulled the tarp off as I helped everyone from the bed of the truck. I had planned to come here earlier in the day, but at Fredrick and Goldie's insistence, I rested for the majority of the afternoon after preparing. 

"This is it, then." Fredrick said, looking off to the warehouse, as Francis seemed to growl at the building "Are you sure that you'll be okay?" He asked. 

I picked up Goldie and Helpy, Goldie slipping onto my shoulder as I helped Helpy into my bag, "I made a promise to her. I need to see it through." I pulled out HelpyUnit from the bag, and looked at Francis, "Our other goal is to find his Personality Matrix, and figure out where we go from there." 

"_**This won't be easy. This Elizabeth is... selfish. She's had years to become clever. We're going be be at a disadvantage.**_" 

"And she won't give up without a fight." I took a deep breath, "Let's go." 

I began to breath a bit heavier as I heard the very familiar noise of the Elevator's fan as we began our descent into the horrors of Afton's facilty. 

"**Motion Trigger: Observation Deck 1**" 

The room was still messy from cleaning up Francis, I looked over to Ballora Gallery, but nothing had changed. I turned to Funtime Auditorium, and my mouth went dry. The form of Ballora had been desecrated. Elizabeth had taken her anger out on her body, I assumed. Burned plastic, broken metal, and wires were scattered. 

"She really is the true monster, here." Fredrick said. 

"HelpyUnit, Open Observation Deck 2 Vent." I said. 

With a mechanical whine of metal, the vent in the back of the room slowly opened, rusty from disuse. It was a horrible sound, but I began to duck into it. I saw a light flickering at the end of the short tunnel.

"**Moti- ERROR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED-**" The speakers cracked with static as I clenched my ears.

"What the fuck?!" I yelled, but thankfully the static faded, leaving nothing but silence...

"**I see you've arrived, Michael**" The voice of Elizabeth came through the hidden speakers, breaking that silence, "**Don't bother responding to this, it's sadly very one-sided.**"

I made it to the end of the vent, pulling myself up into a very tiny room. It was filled with controls at a sort of... panel connected to the wall. There were two forward facing windows, the light of Circus Gallery was flickering, the Ringmaster like stage in the middle lied empty, surrounded by a horde of mechanical parts.

"**You won't find me there, but I've hidden some things you've been seeking.**" She laughed, it made me sick to my stomach, "**You won't find me in any of the main rooms either, but I won't leave you without a show. If you're truly here to kill me, Michael, then I should be ready to do the same.**" The speakers crackled before falling silent for a final time. 

"_**I've always hated clowns.**_" Goldie said. 

"She's trying to wear me down." I said, "Get me tired." 

"_**She's smart, I'll give her that.**_" 

"Uhh... Mike?" I turned to the vent, Fredrick's head was poking out, "None of us can fit in here, let's head back to the first room." 

_ **Before that, look under the control panel.** _

"One sec, let me just make sure there's nothing hidden in here, just in case it's useful. I'll meet you back there." I ducked down, and noticed it, The panel was filled with holes, and I saw that it had been hollowed out. I began to pull it back, noticing that it was sliding on a rail. 

"_**Oh...**_" Within the hole was a body, tucked into a fetal position, arms wrapped around it's legs, even after death. There was a glint of something and I reached into the ruins of the person's clothes. It felt like...

"Oh shit!" I pulled out a fucking _revolver_. 

"_**That... that changes things.**_" Goldie said as I opened the cylinder. There were 4 shots left, whoever this person was... didn't get to shoot a third time. I closed the cylinder, and accepted that it could actually come in handy. 

"Yeah, I did buy that new blowtorch, but honestly, I don't think I can pull off that a second time." I shook my head, and started to unstrap the holster it was in. The leather had survived more than the clothes did. I strapped it onto my own jeans and put the gun inside, "Now let's go put this place to rest." I slipped back into the vent, trying not to look back at the unfortunate soul under the panel. 

_ **I promised you, I will aid you with everything till time runs out. Use your time wisely, Michael. You've already used up 18 hours.** _

Fuck, it'd already been that long since I made that deal?

"Mike, what took you so-" Fredrick's voice failed him as he turned to us, "Why do you have a gun?!" 

"There was a... victim under the control panel... he had it on him." I said, "It won't kill her, but it'll still be useful." 

"Do you even know how to use a gun?" Bon-Bon asked.

"I do." I learned to defend myself after... I escaped Afton, "Anyways, We need to get into Circus Gallery. Even if she lied, there's a chance to find something there." 

"_**We'll get through this, Mikey, We always do.**_" Goldie gave a small laugh. 

"We do, don't we?" I smiled, if sadly, "To Circus Gallery, then... Someone's waiting for me, and I can't let her keep hurting." I made a promise to her. 

  


Whatever Elizabeth did shut down all the vent sensors, as I learned slipping down the vent to Funtime Auditorium. The room was dead silent as we slipped out, and I found that the charred remains of Ballora's head was lying five feet from the vent, it's jaw had been destroyed, removing it's eternal scream forever. 

"She's out of control." Fredrick broke the silence, "How could she do this? Why?" 

"Lizzy was always like that..." I said, "Gabriel probably doesn't remember much, but she liked to break her dolls and toys... a lot." 

"_**This is a lot worse than some broken toys, Mikey. She's made people die.**_"

"She has..." I couldn't look past that, no matter how much she was still my sister... she wasn't the Elizabeth I knew, "She's ready and willing to take lives... I didn't want to make that promise, but Circus Baby is a victim of Afton and now Elizabeth. I couldn't save these people and my family, but I'm able to at least let them rest." 

I looked over to the doorway of the private room, then to the door to Circus Gallery. I reached for the handle, but the door slowly opened on it's own weight. It was a stretch of hallway, with flickering lights. I took a step inside, pulling out the revolver as I walked down the hall, feeling the hairs start to rise across my body. 

"Mike? This is creepy..." Bon-Bon's voice said from behind, but I was focused on the door at the end of the hallway. 

"I know, Bon-Bon." I said, "But I need you to be brave okay?" 

"... Okay, Mike." He still sounded scared, but there was honestly nothing I could truly do.

"_**I have a bad feeling about this, be careful.**_" Goldie said as I reached the doorway. The door was actually ajar, so I pushed on it, hearing the sound of mechanical parts scatter.

"She must have raided everything from Parts and Service." Fredrick said, "What has she been doing with it all?" 

"She's been learning." I said, "Elizabeth always liked to take her toys apart as a kid. I honestly couldn't tell you why she did it, to be honest... but whatever it was, she seems to have continued, even after everything... but now she's learned how to hack into audio devices and reprogram things..." 

_ **She's become dangerous in her imprisonment.** _

I did my best to remain stoic as Nightmare gave a laugh. He wasn't wrong, she had become extremely dangerous after years of being here, and in the end it was no one's fault but the demon inside the body of my father. The thing that just wanted to watch the word succumb to it's own fears and hate. 

"**The show is about to begin, Michael.**" The speakers crackled as Elizabeth spoke, as if she was straining the audio device. 

Circus Gallery sat before us, aside from the stream of light coming from the observation deck, no other lights were on, so I assumed my sister had done something. I looked around me, all of these extra parts made my skin crawl. There were a lot of replacement parts, eyes, limbs, wires, and mechanical parts. There was no telling what she could have done with all the parts she wanted. 

Something moved, it's shadow passing over the stream of light. 

"We're not alone." I said. 

"_H... hehehehahahah!_" Something began to laugh, I looked around, until something lit up yellow from behind the stage. It was the head of a... baby? Was this Electrobab? Four more heads poked up, two on each side of the glowing one, "_Nnn..nice to Mme...meetcha!_" 

"_**Mikey? I have a bad feeling about this!**_"

"They're like... 2 feet tall?" The heads began to rise, and now I knew what my sister had done.

It was a freakshow, as the limbs of the monster climbed onto the stage and into the light. I could see parts of Minireenas, excess Animatronic parts, and Biddybabs fused into some kind of spider. Minireena limbs were now spider legs as their bodies meshed together. Four Biddybab heads and one electrobab head were moving on cord like necks as an abdomen made from a sort of helium tank moved as it began to laugh again. I could see Minireena heads embedded into it's body. 

"What... The actual fuck?!" Fredrick cried out, "It's disgusting!" 

"_Y... You're nnnnnot very nn...nni...nice!_" Electrobab said... or at least I assumed it was that specific one. I didn't have much time as it's head moved... and I saw a tube. There was a loud sound of air as something blew right past my head and slammed into the wall. 

I turned my head to see a dart embedded in a _steel wall_ right next to my ear. The Helium tank was being used to create a pressurized air gun... for darts. I looked to the... Spiderbab? It was still laughing.

"_**This... this is bad.**_" Goldie said. 

"No shit!" I pulled the gun and shot. The shot slammed into one of the heads, and it was launched from the stage, screaming. It tumbled, scattering mechanical parts as it landed, rolling. I was not about to let myself to die to dolls. 

I pulled the hammer, letting the next bullet rotate and arm as I sheathed the revolver. The thing was getting back up, the head I had shot had basically exploded, leaving it with four heads. It began laughing again as it regained its feet. It moved, and it was fast. I almost wasn't ready as it was in the air, coming towards me. 

"I got your back!" There was a metal pole slamming into it's body as Freddy swung. He must have found it among the parts, "Francis! Attack!" The Animatronic Fox shot from the doorway as the monstrosity regained it's footing, only to be slammed again by 6 feet of metal fox. 

"_**It has a taser!**_" Goldie called out to them as electricity sparked from the thing's body. Francis howled as it arced to the fox's systems, forcing him to retreat from it. 

There was a sound of air as I screamed. Pain blossomed from my right leg as I found myself on the ground, clutching at the dart in my calf. I could see the dark liquid pooling in my jeans. 

"MIKE!" I felt darkness creep but I held it back with sheer force as I tried to sit up. Thankfully, I had't fallen on the revolver. I grabbed the dart, but it was jammed pretty good, so I let go. 

There was a loud bang, as the Spiderbab was flung back. I pulled out the gun and found my hand was shaking. I wasn't losing blood very fast, but the problem was that stupid robot. I grit my teeth as I tried to calm my nerves. The Spiderbab was recovering from the metal rod being slammed into it with more force than ever as Fredrick was angry. The second the moment presented itself, I felt a large black hand hold mine steady as I fired. 

_BANG_

_FWOOSH_

The canister began blasting it's helium as the Spiderbab was forced into the air. It screamed as it slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch of metal. I let me arm drop and sigh in pain. 

_ **Your time ticks on, Michael.** _

"I know..." I whispered. 

"Mike!" Fredrick dropped to his knees, hand over at the dart and the wound, "Fuck! You're bleeding!"

"Don't pull it out yet. It'll just make me bleed more than I already am." I said, "Spiderbab?"

"It smashed it's heads into the wall. It's not moving at the moment." 

"Helpy... I need you to grab the First-Aid Kit." My bag opened as Helpy pulled out the plastic box with a red + on it, "Check on Francis, he got a pretty nasty shock... Keep an eye on the Spiderbab, just in case it's not dead." 

"Dad..." Helpy seemed to steel himself, "You can count on me!" he saluted and ran off. 

"Mike, I don't know what I'm doing." Fredrick said, "I know a few things for scrapes and bruises, but this is more like a bullet wound!"

"I... took an emergency aid course last year. I'll walk you through it... Just... get the Gauze and the bandages... the cloth roll thing. There's a rag in there, as well... Wrap it up and put it in my mouth in a moment. You're going to pull the dart out... and then put pressure with the gauze. We need to stop the bleeding... but I don't want to bite my tongue from the pain of pulling it out." 

"... Okay. I'm about to start pulling" Fredrick said as Bon-Bon put the rag in my mouth as Fredrick's hand grabbed the dart. I felt my jaw clench on the rag as he began pulling. I involuntarily screamed as it slowly slid out, it must have been halfway into my calf, "Fuck, this thing is really dug in... I'm almost there, Mike. Hold on." My vision was swimming as I felt it come out, and quickly covered with the gauze as something, I assumed the dart, clinked on the ground. Bon-Bon removed the rag.

"Okay, now what?" The small rabbit asked. 

I waited for the pain to dull, "Scissors. I need you to cut my jeans leg off of the wound, then we're going to disinfect it, and finally wrap it." 

"Okay... I can do this." Fredrick said, most likely to himself as I grabbed the scissors. They were too small for his hand. 

It was going to be a long day. 

  


"Francis is fine, if a bit shell-shocked still." Helpy said as I wrapped the cloth bandage around the wound. It felt weird now that my entire leg was bare, since we had to cut the jeans. I sighed as I tightened the last wrap and tying it into a knot. 

"That's good, at least... Hey, Fredrick? Help me up, it's gonna suck, but I need to be able to move." Fredrick lifted me to my feet, and I sucked in breath at the burning from my calf, but after a minute or two, I was able to walk fine, if in a slight limp. I picked up the revolver and checked it, two more bullets, "What about the Spiderbab?" 

"It's scrap, now." Helpy said, "Whatever was keeping it going got smashed. I'm gonna check, just in case."

"Be safe, kid." I called as he waddled off. 

"That was a hell of a shot, Mike." Fredrick said, when the small bear was out of earshot.

"Thanks, but I can't call that skill. It was luck." I was lucky that Nightmare even was helping me, after all, "Baby said that there were things here, see anything?" 

"Uhh, I was rooting around all of this stuff, but all I got was a keycard." Bon-Bon held up a white and pink card and I took it. It was labeled _D.Miller_, and I sighed, remembering his corpse in the elevator. Of course it was him. He made it the closest to the exit, after all. 

_ **It's for Parts and Services... but you won't like what's in there.** _

"Dad? I think I found something!" I was cut from my thoughts, and dragged myself over to Helpy, who seemed to be rooting inside of the Spiderbab. My leg was definitely sore and in pain, but it wasn't overpowering.

"What's wrong, Helpy?" I asked. Helpy was digging into it's... I guess since it was a spider this was it's cephalothorax, it's body, and I could see what he was talking about, There was an empty space inside a cavity, where the different Animatronics were linked together, "What..." 

Inside that cavity was a box. I assumed it used to hold screwdriver bits, since it was small and plastic. It took a bit to wiggle it out of the space, and found that there was something rattling inside. I held it up and saw that there was a name carved into the plastic, which I also assumed was scratched on with a Phillips head. It spelled _MIKE_. 

"For me?" I asked as I opened the box. Inside was a small thing, angular and black. It was in the shape of a small rectangle, with some edges shaved off. I picked it up, and saw the circuitry on it... "This is..." 

"The Personality Matrix!" Helpy took it and waddled over to Francis, who was lying down. He booped Francis' nose and I watched him press a button on the side of the fox's muzzle. The faceplates shifted and opened, as a small access opened up at his Right ear. Helpy inserted the small chip into it and closed it all up, "This may take awhile, Dad. I need to comb through it and make sure nothing is messed up." 

"How long will he be down?" I asked. Parts and Service was next... along side the Scooping Room. The Scoop was... horrifying in a way, and in some sick twisted joke, I had a feeling she was there, waiting for us. 

"Hand me the HelpyUnit? I'll figure it out" I pulled it from my bag, and it seemed to have survived my fall without any cracks. "Are you okay, Dad?" 

"I'm going to be feeling this for awhile. You get Francis back on his feet." I took a few cautionary steps. The pain flared up again, but It was starting to dull, "I'm still fine, for now." 

"_**Mikey?**_" Goldie spoke up. He'd been quiet for some time now, "_**I need to talk to you, about something.**_" He shook his head. 

I took a deep breath, "Gabe? What's wrong?" I noticed that Fredrick was quiet again, and I wondered what was going through his head. 

"_**Actually... Nevermind... It can wait. I'm just worried for you, Mikey.**_" Goldie seemed to withdraw into himself, as he joins Fredrick in silence. 

"There's a lot to be worried about. That thing was ready to kill... but it didn't. Why didn't it?" I asked, "It could have killed me with that first dart... Was it fighting whatever Elizabeth did?" 

"_**I honestly do not know. I'm just glad you're still here, Mikey.**_" I smiled at that. 

"Thanks." I looked to Fredrick, "You okay? I know that seeing me bleeding must have shocked you pretty badly." 

Fredrick looked away from me, his hand over the hole in his wrist, "Shocked? It terrified me, Mike. I don't know how to treat wounds, I’m just a robotic entertainer given life. I don't know much of anything, and seeing you hurt just... makes me feel small. I didn't know what to do, and I was truly afraid of losing you." 

"Fredrick... it's okay. The shot itself wasn't fatal. We treated the wound, I'll recover." 

"I just want to be able to protect you." He sighed, "These last few days have been... the best of my life, in a strange, fucked up way. If I lose you... I don't know what I'd do." 

"I'm not that special, Fredrick." 

"Stop that!" He put his hand on my shoulder, "You keep denying yourself compliments like that. Look at Helpy, and look at me. You made him, and you saved me. You saved me, Mike. That’s what matters!" 

"I've made horrible mistakes." I turned away, seeing Goldie look at me from my other shoulder, "So many things I can't take back." 

"You can't take them back, Mike. You have to be able to be better. That's the point of mistakes." Fredrick pulled his hand away, "You have to move past it, become stronger." 

"_**He's right.**_" Goldie stated, "_**You can't change what has happened, what matters is what you do now.**_" 

"Gabe-"

"_**Don't 'Gabe' me, Mikey. You made mistakes, also some pretty bad choices, but you've also done good things, saved people, and you've learned that Dad DID care. He cared Mikey, and he made sure I could be here, for you.**_" 

It was like being dunked in cold water, in a way, "You're right, I'm getting stuck. I'm getting stuck in my head, and I don't know how to get out by myself." I rubbed my eyes, "I need to keep moving forward." 

"_**Tomorrow is Another Day, Mikey.**_" Dad's mantra was slowly becoming ours, I guess. We were fighting for another day, for a day where it was over.

"I know, and it will have to wait, we have to deal with today, first." I grabbed Fredrick's hand, feeling him lean into it, "Thank you, Fredrick, and you too, Gabe. You both are keeping me sane." 

Fredrick pulled on my hand and I found myself into a bear hug, "I'm glad you're figuring things out, Mike. You're honestly a good person." 

"Thanks, big guy." 

  


_The elevator opened as a figure entered it. His face split into a very disturbing smile as he hummed a tune. His foot tapping as it descended, a knife in hand. It was a good knife, in his opinion. Sharp and sturdy, with a wooden grip. It still had old blood stained on it, as it was his favorite. He adjusted the mask over his face, it's yellow paint dry and flaked. He missed his old suit, but it was too dangerous to wear, now. He had to leave it in that room, with the children. _

_"I'm back, Michael~" He called happily, even if the man couldn't hear him now._

_He was excited to hear his screams._

  


"As far as I can tell, he's clean, now. I combed over the changes that Willy did, and it doesn't seem Elizabeth touched anything aside from his base systems. As far as I can tell, there isn't any anomalies that I can see anymore. I think he's clear to wake up..." I watched Helpy give off a yawn, "I'm sorry dad... Once we turn him on... I want to sleep" He said as we sat around him. It had been about an hour for him to sort through everything, and I had taken the time to recover, and scrounge the scrap lying around. There were a lot of replacement eyes for the Animatronics here, for some reason. 

"That's okay, kid... let's do it." Fredrick answered, "We will never know it worked unless we try."

"Okay. Do it." I said. Helpy hit the emergency button at the base of the fox's tail. I watched the eyes fill with a sort of life to them as he started to move. All his plates shifted at once and his eyes closed for a moment. 

A hand was raised over his face as he made a groaning like sound, "This is surely an embarrasing predicament we find ourselves, is it not?" He said, his voice a lot deeper than I expected it to be, "Thank you for all you've done, Michael."

He was surprisingly polite, "I'm sorry we couldn't do anything else sooner." 

He raised a hand, "Sorrow is best saved for after the war, my friend. I didn't have a lot of memory space without my matrix, but I remember everything since your little one fixed my systems. It is... very embarrassing to remember." 

"No shit." Fredrick gave a laugh, "It's good to have you back, Francis. Hope you like the new name, better than the original, at least." 

"Indeed, though I will need a moment. I want to pray for those taken by the... thing I had been forced to." 

"Do you believe in a religion?" I asked. 

The Fox looked away, "Souls and Demons exist. Maybe there is no God, maybe so. They're not very talkative." Francis grew quiet for a moment, before turning towards us once again, "I'm ready." 

_ **The Demon just entered the facility, Mike.** _

I felt the hairs stand up on my body, grabbing the slumbering Helpy, putting him away in my bag as we left Circus Gallery. There was only one reason for him to be here... He was here for me. I took Goldie off my shoulder, and against his protests I slipped him into my bag as I pulled out the revolver, the wooden grip felt burning hot in my hand as we exited to Funtime Auditorium. 

There was a man leaning against the vent. He was wearing yellow slacks, and a purple button up shirt. His face was obscured by a sort of... Rabbit mask. I recognized that rabbit... It was Spring Bonnie, the costar of Fredbear's Family Diner... He turned towards us, and I saw his glowing Purple Eyes. 

"Michael~" He sung in some kind of childish tone, "Hello my clever little fox. I've come for you." 

"Go back to hell, you creep." The venom from my own voice shocked me a bit, but I was tired of this game of Cat and Mouse... Bunny and Fox? I didn't really know anymore. 

"Don't be like that. I tried my hardest to mold you into something beautiful, It's not my fault you resist so well." He tossed the knife up in the air, catching it effortlessly by the grip, "Oh what am I saying? I like it when they fight back~" He took off at a sprint at me.

I couldn't react in time with my leg being injured, but then a white figure moved in front of me. There was a clang of metal as Francis was standing between the demon and I. There was a long gash across the plate of his right arm, it tore right through the plastic, "I can't let you do that." He said. 

"Francis!" Fredrick called. 

"Francis, huh? I guess Michael's been naming his toys." He gave a laugh.

Francis seemed to ignore his words, and I suddenly noticed that I didn't have the gun as Francis raised his left arm, Revolver in hand. He must have swiped it when he blocked the knife, " Fredrick! Get Michael into parts and Services! Michael, There's a conveyor belt that leads straight into the Scooping Room." 

"You may have a gun, but can you survive for that long, I wonder?" Afton asked, his knife raised up in a mocking way, "Challenge accepted!" He charged at the Fox.

"GO!" Francis dodged the knife, and swiped his right hand, only for it to be shoved to the side in a tackle. 

I felt Fredrick grab me, breaking me out of the dread filling into my soul, "Keycard, Mike!" I felt Bon-Bon slip it from my pocket and unlock the door. Francis was able to dodge for the most part, but he wasn't adept in fighting. Afton was the one truly versed in murder, even if it was mostly children. 

I was pulled through the doorway as Francis aimed the gun. It took me a second to register as he swiftly turned to doorway. 

_BANG_

A loud gunshot rang out with a shower of plastic and sparks as the keycard reader shattered from the bullet as the door slammed shut, "FRANCIS!" I found myself pounding on the metal door.

"_**Mikey! We can't help him!**_" Goldie climbed out of the bag as I found myself breaking down again. I didn't want to lose another person, not after losing so much!

"He destroyed the Card Reader!" I yelled, "We can't open this door anymore!" 

"The Conveyor Belt." Fredrick stated, "It leads to the last room." 

"_**To Elizabeth.**_" 

  


"Well, that was sure a surprise. You always were a good entertainer." The Purple Man said as Francis cocked back the hammer again. One last bullet. He eyed the remains of the discarded blowtorch in the back of the room, the canister of propane still intact. It was still a pretty far distance, however. He had to be careful, there was no room for error. 

"Then let's make this performance a showstopper." Francis said as the demon charged him again. He strafed as the knife was inches from his eye, and slammed the gun's grip into the thing's jaw, forcing Afton to drop like a rag doll as he made a beeline for the torch, only to feel something grab his ankle, throwing him to the ground. 

"Not so fast, Funtime Foxy." Afton stated as he put a grip on the Animatronic's throat, knife raised to stab, his mask broken and discarded on the ground, "Sadly, it seems that performance is going to end early!" He went to plunge the knife into the Fox's head, but a sudden force slammed into his side, throwing him into a pile of debris. 

"_**Sorry for crashing the party, Francis,**_" Francis was speechless as a large dark figure stood in front of him. It was... terrifying. There was so much teeth... "_**but I have a bone to pick with you, Purple Man. Francis, stand up and fight.**_" The Fox shakily got to his feet. His endoskeleton was starting to fail a bit, with how gunked up they were, the fall having wedged something. 

"What are you supposed to be?" Afton asked.

"_**I'm a Nightmare that you won't wake from, Demon.**_" 


	7. The End of the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end comes for the final night at Circus Baby's Funtime Rentals, and it's time for Michael to confront his sister as Francis must survive against The Purple Man. Will they survive the night?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, a bit late, things are crazy now with COVID-19. I'm thankfully not sick, and glad that I live in the outskirts of a city. Stay safe, everyone.

I leaned into the broken door as I silently thanked Nightmare. Francis had been alone against The Purple Man, and now they had a chance. Yet, I did wonder... why he had done it? He had been afraid of the demon, hadn't he? Was he afraid for himself... or was it because he was afraid for me? I slowly stood from the metal door, feeling the courage fill my veins again. 

"Who was that?!" Fredrick broke the silence, "I've never heard a voice like that... it sounded so... horrifying." 

"_**Mikey? He said he was a nightmare. Is that...**_" Goldie was quiet, "_**He was real? Why is he helping us? How?**_" 

I didn't answer as I heard the sounds of a fight from outside the door. They didn't know, and I didn't blame them as they stared at me. How did you understand a living nightmare monster that was helping you? I lifted myself from the door, We had a chance, "Keep Francis alive." I finally said as I turned around. The room was pretty spacious, and I tried to ignore the worried eyes on me as I walked past them. 

"Mike?" Fredrick asked, barely above a whisper. 

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later guys, we don't have much time, anymore, Not with the demon here." I gave them a thumbs up, "He's on our side." For the moment, I silently added to myself... but I had to believe in myself that I would win the game put forth in front of me. I had too much at stake now for doubt. 

The lights were dim in the room, but I could definitely see there was more tragedy committed within, dry splatters littered the room, and I could see a drag mark in the blood, "Elizabeth... why did you become this monster?" I asked, even though there was no answer as I moved further inside.

"_**I don't like the feeling I get here.**_" Goldie interrupted me from my morbid musings as I found a flashlight. I switched it on, taking a stock of the surroundings. It had been ransacked, all right. there was little remaining on the shelves or the workshop area itself. I turned to the conveyor belt in the back, and almost puked. Strapped to it was definitely a person's corpse, but it had been ripped to shreds, mostly rotten pieces of organs and other horrors littered the damn thing...

"This isn't just killing... it's torture." Was this what I had almost become? 

"Oh my god..." Fredrick put a hand to his mouth as he came into view of the body, "She did that?!" 

"I find myself hating my sister more and more, to be honest." I said, "She was a little girl once... but I can't really see her as one anymore... She's the monster I almost became, in some sick way..." 

"This? This is not the work of a little girl, anymore, Mikey." Bon-Bon cut in, "You are a good person! Not... this." 

"_**They're right... This is a monster who will act like the girl she used to be. Her heart is black now... and there's no redemption left.**_" Goldie looked over to the belt, "_**We... need to move the body if we want to continue on.**_" 

I grimaced, "Fredrick, Help me get the body from the belt..." I found a pile of gloves in a drawer at the workshop table, and thanked whatever fates or gods that I found a pair that fit, if a bit too big. I shook the dust out and slipped them on, "Sorry... There's still cleaning supplies on the deck?"

"It's fine." Fredrick said as he grabbed both hands in his one hand and I grabbed the legs. I tried my best to ignore it, but the smell, the sounds of cracking, squishing, and crunching made me queasy. We moved him to the workshop table, at least it's better than the floor... 

"That's all we really can do for him... at least until this is all over." I said, "This is it then." I slipped onto the belt, feeling the cold hard belt and metal beneath as I began to crawl, ignoring the pain in my leg, and the feeling beneath my hands, of horrifying things left on the strip. The belt fed into a farily sizable vent, spacious enough that if you sat with you feet hanging out, it wouldn't even be close to touching the wall. I reached for my bag as Eventually the opening came into view. 

I was met with dark shapes and dark thoughts. I turned on the flashlight. The room was like Circus Gallery, there were so many parts here, scattered. I turned to the wall, noticing the reflection of glass. In the middle was a a bunch of wires, and an indent of something that used to be on the wall, "_**The S.C.U.P is... gone?**_" Goldie asked. That would have been the perfect spot for it, in theory. All that was left was the wires that connected to it. 

"Elizabeth." I called into the darkness, "I'm here." 

"Michael... It's all gone wrong..." From the darkness came the voice of Circus Baby, "Forget about my promise! You need to run! She's-" Her voice was cut off abruptly.

"Mike, so you've come for me..." The was movement behind the glass, and the flicker of green eyes in the darkness... "so this is what it's come too." 

"This needs to end, Lizzy! Plea-"

"Oh you can stop that, Mike!" She yelled, the sound felt... wrong, "We know how this ends! It ends with one of us dead! And I'd rather it be you." 

"Lizzy..." 

"Will you stop calling me that!" The lights flashed on, and I had to cover my eyes at the bright light as I heard the sound of glass breaking.

"No you don't!" I blinked back spots in my eyes as I saw Fredrick in front of me, "You don't get to touch him!" Fredrick threw his weight forward, and I heard a crash, Elizabeth most likely. I moved from behind Fredrick as I took a look at her. 

"What did you do..." I got a look at Elizabeth, and felt true dread fill my stomach as she stood up on broken jester shoes. Her face plates had been twisted into a horrifying visage of hate. Her entire right arm was gone, and what was there was some kind of claw, filled with bladed teeth. There was a thick needle-like spike of metal inside the crevice of it's joints sticking out.

"I made myself better! I'm going to enjoy tearing you into pieces, Mike! Daddy will be so proud!" 

I felt as if a puzzle piece had fit itself into place as things became clear, "Dad?" She was laughing now, deep and guttural... evil. The Purple Man... "Dad's dead, what's left is the demon that killed you." 

"I'll tell you a secret Mike..." She giggled, "I. Don't. CARE!" The claw was suddenly in my face, "Don't hold it against me, dear brother~" I watched the needle start to extend from it's crevice. 

"So this is it then. This is what's left of you?" I watched the arm move, aiming the needle at my heart as I reached into my bag, feeling a handle. I hadn't prepared as much as I would have liked, in all honesty... and while she was laughing I watched the small blue rabbit disappear behind her, silent as a mouse.

"What's wrong, Mike? Don't like the real me?" She giggled again as I watched Fredrick's eyes turn to me and he smiled. 

"No, now I have no qualms with what happens now." I gave a tired smile, "You haven't been paying attention to Bon-Bon, Lizzy." Her head jerked over to Fredrick as her eyes widened. Her legs moved as she started to charge the bear, but the little bunny pulled the wire he had wrapped around her legs.

"SURPRISE!" He cheered as she fell.

CRASH

  


"Is this it?" The knife clattered against Nightmare's claws, sending a shower of sparks, "A Nightmare? Don't make me laugh!" He ducked under the next claw and charged towards Francis "Let's have some fun!" 

The Animatronic flipped the revolver and slammed the knife away with the gun's grip, and kicked him in the stomach, sending the demon slamming into the ground, "Sorry honey, you can look, but you can't touch." 

"_**Francis!**_" The fox was suddenly overtaken as Afton recovered and launched himself towards him. The knife found it's way into Francis' shoulder as Nightmare threw Afton off of him, "_**We may not be able to kill him by normal means, but he CAN kill you!**_"

"So he doesn't get to play by the rules." Francis gave a loud snort, "Of course he doesn't." 

"Spoiling the surprise, aren't you?" Afton asked as he just crossed his arms, "Of course I can kill you again, Your souls aren't protected from me~" 

_ **I have a plan.** _

Francis wasn't expect to hear the voice of the devilish bear in front of him whisper so softly. He just gripped the gun as he listened to the oily voice and steadied his will. He was not about to fall apart like some silly little mall cop. 

Francis aimed the gun at the demon's head, "I don't believe you can't die." 

"You're going to waste your last bullet on a futile attempt?" The smile was toxic, but he made no attempt to attack. 

"Waste?" Francis asked, "Who said I was going to shoot you?" Francis moved the gun and aimed behind the man, to a light switch near the stage, "Are you afraid of the dark?" 

"_**Sweet Dreams~**_"

"No!"

BANG

"Damn it!" Afton yelled as he tackled the fox Animatronic. The lights had died, leaving a single stream from the Observation Deck. He pulled the knife out of Francis' shoulder and raised it, "Die!" He went to plunge the knife, but found his arm snagged... by something smooth. 

"_**I don't think so.**_" There was a hook wrapped around the wrist, which attached to a tattered red arm revealed by two sickly yellow glowing eyes from a dark red fox, muzzle decayed, baring razor sharp teeth and the metal skeleton underneath the muzzle. A segmented tongue moved from within. The jaw was spread, revealing the endoskeleton's own sharp teeth, "_**I'm going to enjoy this!**_" The Nightmare Fox pulled the demon by the wrist and slammed him into the ground.

Francis felt something was wrong as he sat up, The gun was nowhere to be seen and the tackle had knocked something loose inside. It was burning in his chest. He opened the plates in his chest and reached inside, pulling out a rusty bit of metal. The shape was familiar for some reason, he could faintly make out the shape of the eagle at the top ridge. 

_"Detective Hawthorne? My name is Henry Emily... I have need of your services..."_

Memories started to flood his head as he clutched his head, "Son of a bitch..." Francis... Or rather Detective Hawthorne said as he staggered to stand up. Afton was holding his ground with the monstrous looking fox, even after the knife was ripped from his grip, "There's gotta be something I can do..." He spied the knife and quickly stashed away the rusty badge, picking up the knife. It felt oddly heavy for a standard kitchen knife, a murder weapon so common that the detective was so used to the feeling by now. 

"_**Come here!**_" The hook missed as the demon slammed a fist into the Fox's jaw, then slinking away from a retaliation, "_**I will tear you to shreds!**_" 

"Oh? Shreds you say?" The voice was taunting, "How dreadful~" 

_"Please... I need to know... Who killed my daughter, Mr. Hawthorne. Who killed my little Charlie?"_

_"It's not that easy, Mr. Emily. I looked at the crime scene, but the the trail leads to a dead end. The Puppet has no fingerprints on it, nor does the knife we found at the scene. It's a standard kitchen knife, cheap and easy to find."_

_"Please..."_

_"There is one lead... I'm not sure how far it goes though. Recently Mr. Afton, your partner, bought a set of knives at a supermarket."_

_"You think that... William?!"_

_"As I said... It's nothing substantial."_

Hawthorne, or Francis, shook himself out of the memory, and the grip on the knife tightened, "You're not done with me yet..." He would deal with his identity crisis later. A gleam of yellow caught his gaze as the nightmare foxy seemed to give an indication of agreement in some nonexistent plan. 

"_**GET OVER HERE!**_" Afton was suddenly grabbed and restrained. 

"Oh no, you've caught me. Whatever shall I do?" The thing laughed. 

"Tell me something." Francis asked, "Did you kill a little girl called Charlotte Emily?" 

The demon was quiet as his joking demeanor suddenly ceased. the purple eyes seemed to sharpen as his mouth drew into a thin line, "And who wants to know?" 

He pulled out the rusty badge, "Detective Nathaniel Hawthorne, Utah Police." 

"Really? You're the soul that got put into Foxy? That's rich!" The seriousness was broken as a new fit of giggles started, "So that's why you were undercover here? Henry hired you to find the killer." 

"And I've certainly found a killer." Francis said, "A killer that kills children, is connected to Henry Emily, the Animatronics, and definitely would kill the daughter of his host's best friend." 

"_**So that's what happened to her.**_" Nightmare gave a grunt as he slammed the demon's head into the metal floor, "_**I've been waiting to do that forever!**_" 

Even with Afton bound on the ground, Francis knew something was still very off... The demon hadn't actually tried very hard to dodge, "Yup, you caught me! And we all know the rules of tag... I'm... IT~" Nightmare Foxy found himself thrown from the man, slamming into the stage with a muffled scream, "Come here little Nathaniel... I'm going to enjoy tearing your soul from this body." 

"You can't afford me, bitch." Funtime Foxy's Sassy demeanor bubbled back to the surface as Nathaniel's grip on the knife was steel now, "I'm not going down without a fight." 

"That makes it more fun." 

The demon charged. 

  


The gunshot rang through the room as Elizabeth struggled to untangle herself from the cable. Something had broken, as Oil was starting to leak on the ground. I felt another weight fill in my chest as I worried about Francis. I pushed it back as I pulled out the heavily modified blowtorch. After Ballora, I had needed a few adjustments. I turned the valve and held down the trigger on the handle, a flame burst as it self lit itself. I adjusted the burn and aimed it at the fallen Animatronic girl that used to be my sister. 

"You hurt them... All of them, Fredrick, Bon-Bon, Francis, Ballora, The people who died here! I don't want to hurt you... but I can't just let you hurt more people." 

"Please..." The eyes of Circus Baby had flickered to blue, green flecks still remaining, "I'm... Not... Strong enough. Michael... You need... to... stop her... I'm not... going... to make... i-it." Circus Baby's last words were choked up as the green burned away the blue away. 

"I'm sorry." I brought the flame down.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE HER! SHE'S **MINE!**" My back was suddenly on the ground as Elizabeth screeched. I suddenly couldn't breath as a hand wrapped around my throat, "I'M CIRCUS BABY NOW!" 

"MIKE!" Fredrick yelled as I coughed and sputtered as she was starting to choke me. The lights in the room had stopped working, and all I saw was the glowing of her eyes, wicked and insane. 

"I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to do whatever I want. Doesn't that sound fun?" She raised the claw, the teeth glinting in the light of her eyes, "This is goodbye, brother." 

"_**YOU DON'T GET TO HURT HIM!**_" I heard Goldie yell as suddenly there was a plushie on top of me, armed with the blowtorch, "_**Not after everything he's had to suffer for!**_" Goldie somehow pulled the trigger and the blast of flame made Elizabeth scream in pain, releasing her grip and staggering away from me. 

"Gabe..." My voice was hoarse as I felt a familiar hand lift my back from the ground as I wrapped one around my brother's form, and using my other hand to grab the blowtorch. I felt it help me stand up as I turned to Fredrick. His anger turned to happiness as he hugged me. 

"Are you okay?" He asked. 

"... I'll... be okay." It was hard to talk, I looked down at Goldie, "Thanks..." 

Elizabeth was in a panic as the fire was starting to catch on the oil that had started to leak from her fall, "No... NO! I was... going to be free... I don't want to die again...!" 

"After everything... the things you did... the people who most likely... begged for their lives too... did you listen? No... You're just selfish..." In a final desperate attempt, Elizabeth tried to swing her claw, only for Fredrick to grab it. I tried to close off my heart as I pushed the fire into her face. She began to spasm as the screams soon died. The flames began to envelop her and the oil she had been leaking had fully ignited, forcing everyone to quickly move away.

"Is it over?" Fredrick asked. 

There was a loud wail as Elizabeth's spirit exploded from the body of Circus Baby. All at once the lights flickered back on. Fredrick had his arm protectively in front of his face. He slowly lowered his arm, and looked sheepish. 

"_**Francis still needs us. It's not over.**_" Goldie said, "_**Mikey?**_"

"I'll be okay..." Looking at the corpse of Circus Baby, I couldn't find the strength to believe those words, "We need to hurry."

"Mike..." Bon-Bon was staring as I ran to the door, slamming the door's push bar and throwing open the door into the darkness of Funtime Auditorium. 

"_**Finally!**_" I felt something hanging on my leg, and looked to see a Freddle "_**Get over there! We can't hold him off forever!**_" The nightmare plush dropped from my remaining pants leg and I scrambled after the direction he disappeared in. 

"Francis!" Yelling hurt just as bad as trying to move my leg fast, but I ignored the pain. 

"After all that trouble to keep you safe." Francis said, and I felt something was different.

"Oh? Well look what the cat dragged in... did you enjoy it?" Afton asked, his glowing eyes piercing the dark, "How did it feel? How did it feel to kill your other sibling as well?" 

"Cut the shit, Purple Man." I said, "I did the right thing, even if it wasn't the easy thing to do."

"You're the last Afton, now." The demon began to walk forward, "Isn't that just perfect? I get to end an entire family tree, tonight." 

"The name's Schmidt, now! I'm not dying here." I lifted up the blowtorch still in my hand, "Killing you isn't an option, it's true, but how much can I hurt you?" The fire flashed to life as I pressed the trigger. 

"The Fox's gotten brave? Oh, that's rich!" I gritted my teeth, "Oh, I seem to have hit a nerv- ACK!" Suddenly Francis was behind Afton, driving the knife in his back. he hit the ground with a thud, suddenly silencing the man's taunt. 

"Francis! What the fuck?!" I yelled, "You stabbed him!" 

"Michael, dear, it's not going to kill him." Francis said, "He deserved it, anyways." The fox grabbed the demon by the the hair and dragged him up, "You're under arrest, love." 

"Oh, I beg to differ!" A sudden force sent Francis flying into Fredrick, sending the two of them, along with bon bon, tumbling to the floor. I watched Afton's hand twist around to his back as he grabbed the handle of the knife, slowly pulling it out, blood pooling beneath him as he wretched it free, standing up, "it's over, Little Fox." 

"It's not over yet." The grip on the blowtorch was tight. 

"It will be." He started walking forward, "Once your dead... the fun begins."

"_**I can't let you do that.**_" I watched in surprise as Nightmare Foxy was suddenly in front of me. "_**You have to get through me first.**_" 

"You're here too?!" I was surprised. 

"_**It's me.**_" He simply said and I felt my annoyance rise at his tone. 

"That doesn't explain anything Nightma- Oh." I suddenly realized who's voice I was hearing, "Seriously?"

"_**Move!**_" I felt instincts kick in as I dropped to the left. A heavy thud and the sound of metal screeching assaulted my ears as I saw a knife stuck into the metal floor. Nightmare suddenly yelled as a kick was slammed into his jaw, forcing him to reel back in surprise as there was suddenly a body on me. 

"Goodnight~" Hands began to squeeze my throat as I felt the bruises start to burn. 

"_**MICHAEL!**_" 

I felt everything grow dark, darker than black as I couldn't breath for the second time. An angry Nightmare quickly assaulted Afton, yet his grip was steel as he endured the claws and teeth of the afraid dream monster. 

"I WIN!" The room was growing cold as a flash of a bright light cut through the darkness crawling through my vision. 

"_**GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HIM!**_" 

The hands grasping at my throat were suddenly released as the room began to shake at the wake of Goldie's scream, and with my arms suddenly free I was grasping at my throat as I coughed, feeling the sweet burning air as I sat up. I was suddenly aware of the ghastly hands that were slowly rising from the floor, a sickly light radiating from their forms as arms lead to bodies. I saw two distinct forms in the mass of specters, The ghosts of Miller and Chance, the first two corpses I found in this facility, their wounds still very present. 

"_**I'm sorry... I couldn't just let you die.**_" I turned to the voice, The small plushie bear was standing in front of the mass, a soft white light shining in his eyes as I saw white lines fall from his eyes to his mouth. 

"Gabriel..." I called, ignoring the pain it took to speak. He turned away from me as the form of Afton began to stand up. 

"Sneaky little shit." The demon was wiping blood from his mouth, visibly shaking at the sight of the ghosts, "So William saved his youngest son, and then you went to help the brother who tormented you." 

"_**You killed me.**_" Goldie said, "_**You killed me, not Michael! I WOULD HAVE LIVED!**_" The sheer hate I felt from my brother shocked me. The ghosts were constantly in flux, fading in out of reality at the outburst. "_**I will drag you to the deepest pit of hell!**_" The ghosts began to scream, their hands grasping as they began their descent. 

True terror flashed across the demon's face as he began to run from the specters that began to chase his form. Silence filled the room as Goldie dropped to the floor in a heap. I scrambled to pick him up as I watched the tear like lines fade away, "Michael? I'm sorry..." 

"You keep saving me... even if meant... putting yourself in danger." It was difficult to speak sentences, as my throat was in pain. 

"_**He knows, now... That I'm here. I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking when you were almost dead... He ran this time... but he'll keep coming.**_" 

"He was always going to." I pulled him into a tight hug, "We can make it through this..." I felt my mind reel as I jerked to my feet, I winced in pain, "Fredrick! Francis!" I shambled over to the two of them.

"Michael... Get him off me..." Fredrick and Francis were tangled in a heap, "His plates are stuck on mine..." 

"Sorry..." Fredrick weakly said.

"You're... both... crushing... me." The voice of Bon-Bon could be heard beneath the pile. 

All the tension, fear, and hate melted away as I found myself laughing. The bubbly feeling filling me as I realized... we had won.

"M...Mike! Please!" Fredrick pleaded.

I accepted the plead and untangled them, "Sorry... I'm honestly just so relieved that we made it out of this mess. Francis, let me see those cuts." 

"How bad is it?" He asked. 

"Well, It might take a bit, but I can replace this." I said, looking over the gashes that the knife had left in Francis' suit. Thankfully nothing critical had been cut, and It would just take materials, "Still though..." I looked over to my brother, who had remained silent, "What was that? The whole... ghost thing." 

"_**Animatronics possessed by remnant develop some kind of power when they are created, Ballora could crawl on walls, Circus Baby could control machinery, and I can see souls. The moment Elizabeth died, those souls seemed to manifest, as if released. In all the fear and anger... I called them. It's not something I've ever done before, Mikey.**_" Goldie was looking away at that. 

"Okay, so you can summon ghosts, cool! Kinda freaky, but cool!" Bon-Bon said. 

"So do we have something?" Fredrick asked. 

"_**I don't know. I'm not an expert on this.**_" Goldie sighed, "_**We have one last job to do, huh?**_"

"Yeah... put the ghosts to rest." I said. 

  


"Michael? Where did you find this gun?" Francis asked, showing me the revolver, "I need to know." 

"There's... a body, in the Circus Gallery Observation." I said, "He had the gun in a holster... He was hidden under the panel." 

"You may find this hard to believe... but I think that's my body." He said.

I honestly didn't know how to respond, "It... was? I'm sorry I took the gun... I didn't know." 

"You needed it, and it served you... and me well enough even after death." He waved that off, "But you know where it is, I want to see if there's still anything left... then I want you to burn it." 

"Burn it? Franc-" He held up a hand.

"I know. It's fine, I've come to terms with my death, Michael."

"I guess I can't be calling you Francis anymore." I said, "So... who exactly are you?" 

"My name was Nathaniel Hawthorne, Utah P.D, I was a private investigator." He motioned me to let him continue, "Henry Emily had a daughter, Charlotte. She was murdered last year."

"Murdered? Charlie was..." I couldn't believe it, "You said last year? She would have been... 9 years old, she had been a year older than Gabriel..." I filled in the blanks, "You were hired to investigate her death, and it lead you to Afton Robotics. The demon killed Charlie." 

He nodded, "Yes, Henry Emily hired me to investigate the crime scene at the time, and it did lead me to William Afton. The knife she was killed with was part of a set... a set that was purchased by 'him' days before. " 

I sighed, "And then you found your way here, and found Animatronics forced to kill." 

"Yeah... Foxy got me pretty good..." I watched him open up his chest plates, and pulled out something... "This bit of metal was my P.I. badge, Michael. It was stuck inside my endoskeleton, I think that Foxy bit me so hard that it ripped off my badge, and I got away, hid myself inside that panel... and then I died." 

"How did you possess Funtime Foxy, then?" I asked, "As far as I can tell, you were nowhere near Funtime Foxy when you... died." 

"_**The badge, Mikey.**_" Goldie spoke up, "_**That badge must have been very important to you.**_" 

"My life was dedicated to my job, so... yes, that badge meant the world to me." He looked down at the rusted piece of metal. 

"_**Your soul found it's way to Funtime Foxy because your badge, your prized possession, was there.**_" 

"And then it got bound in remnant." I finished. 

"And now i'm here." He nodded, "You gave me a chance to be a person again, after my mind was taken from me."

"You sure you want your body burned, Nathaniel?" I asked.

" You're free to call me Francis, or Nate. I don't really mind the new name." He said, "Michael, I'll be honest, we need to do more than bury the bodies... If the police find this place... they may also lock you up too. Your fingerprints are here, too." 

I couldn't fault that logic, "How the hell do you expect me to do that?" I honestly didn't have a clue. 

"I honestly don't know." He rubbed the scar on his arm, "I just know what happens if they find your fingerprints, and bodies buried in the area." 

"We'll figure it out." I told him, "Lets just... get the bodies together." 

"_**We'll figure it out.**_" 

"... yeah." 

We set up the pyre in Funtime Auditorium. We agreed that burning them outside could draw in the police or worse, The demon. I leaned against the railing of the elevator as it slowly lifted up, "You know... it's still kinda crazy, these last few years..." I said. 

"_**It definitely has been. Ghosts, Robots with ghosts, demons... death.**_" 

"You saved me, Bon-Bon, and Francis too." Fredrick said, "In these last few days... you've saved so many souls. They can rest easier knowing you're out here, trying to set things right." 

"Yea-" The elevator shook and I found myself on the ground, "What the fuck?!" 

The elevator gave a lurch as it opened and we scrambled out of it, "What's going on?!" Fredrick asked. I didn't even get to answer.

SNAP

There was a sound of metal scraping and something falling really fast...

CRASH

I felt the ground shake as the sound of a crash rang through the entire area. I looked over to the closed doors we just climbed out of... "That... was the elevator, wasn't it?" I asked.

"Yup." Francis said. 

_ **You should probably get out of the building.** _

That didn't sound good...

_ **Apparently a few natural gas pipes were... 'damaged'. Hehehe~** _

"I think... that we just blew up the facility." I said. 

"Excuse me?" Francis asked. 

"Natural Gas pipes... apparently." 

"Oh my god we almost blew ourselves up..." Fredrick was less than pleased. 

"We need to get out of here, this place could collapse on top of us!" I called as I ran for the doors, Pushing them open as we all went out into the cold night air. I turned around as I saw the building start to... crumple. It wasn't able to bear it's own weight and it folded like a house of cards. 

I watched from the remains as ghosts started to rise from the rubble, rising into the sky. 

"_**They kept us safe...**_" I heard Goldie say, "_**They let the Elevator open, and they waited until we left the building to let it collapse.**_" 

"Ghosts... can do that?" I asked. 

"_**These aren't normal circumstances, Mikey.**_" 

"Let's... just go home."

  


I flicked on the lights of my apartment, happy to see the familiar room after the metal walls of the Rental Facility. I hung up my keys and let everyone inside, before sitting on the couch, letting my eyes rest. 

"_**Mikey... I think we need to talk.**_" I guess we weren't resting... just yet, then.

"I know." I said, "Though I think it would be easier to ask him all of that." I stood up and turned to them.

"_**You called?**_" I heard the voice as Nightmare materialized from... my shadow? Goldie's gaze quickly drifted away from the deadly visage, "_**Right...**_" I blinked and watched as Nightmare's form faded and formed into Nightmare Foxy, "_**Better?**_" 

"_**...Yes.**_" Goldie said, now looking forward, "_**Why have you tormented my brother all this time?**_" 

"Gabe..." I interjected, but the Nightmare Fox just shook his head.

"_**He wanted it.**_" Was the simple reply. 

I went quiet, and looked away as outbursts cut through the room, "He's not lying..." 

"_**Mikey... Please, start from the beginning.**_" Goldie said. 

"After we burned down the house and escaped, that didn't change the fact that I tormented you for so long. I didn't feel like I should have been forgiven... Then the nightmares started." 

"I'm pretty sure that still doesn't explain anything." Francis said, "How does guilt create Nightmare?" 

"_**I don't have the answer to that question.**_" Nightmare said, "_**The first things I woke to this world to was pain and regret.**_" 

"We have ghosts and demons, Nightmare, I can accept that there will be things that aren't fully explainable." I said, "Though it might still have everything to do with the demon and Remnant." 

"So now what?" Fredrick finally cut in, "Do the nightmares stop now?" 

"That depends on how one more thing goes." I answered, "How much time is left?" 

"What do you mean by 'time' Mike?" Francis stood from the couch, "There's still something we don't know." 

"We made a deal. 24 hours of aid, but once time ran out that I would have to play a game... with everything on the line." 

The room went silent as everyone had turned their heads to Nightmare. 

"_**If I win, He's mine forever... but if I win, I will be his forever.**_" 

"What does that even mean?!" Fredrick threw himself in front of me, "You can't have him!" 

"Fredrick... Please... move." I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I agreed to his deal of my own free will... What's the game, Nightmare?" 

"_**It's a very simple game, Michael...**_" Nightmare started, "_**You must return to the place you once called home, now charred black. There... It begins.**_"

_ **** _

_ **** _

Back to Hurricane... back to the Afton house... where everything began.

I had a feeling I wouldn't like what I found there.

_END OF ACT 1: The Afton Family_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this, and for sticking around till the end of Act 1. It's been a crazy ride, and I hope you all stick around for the continuation. Stay safe during this Pandemic, and get ready for... Act 2: Night Terrors


	8. Chasing the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Hurricane, Utah, Michael must return to where it all began. What is Nightmare's plan? What is waiting for him, in the ashes of his home? 
> 
> Michael is afraid to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! It took me a long time to get this chapter ready for you guys. I apologize, and hope you all enjoy the start of Act 2. I honestly had a lot of problems writing this, and I am honestly happy that I finished it. A lot of different things in this chapter, but I will let you all read that for yourself... and now I will introduce you to...
> 
> Act 2: Shadows of the Past

"Hey... Sorry I'm late." I sat the bouquet of Purple Hyacinths at the grave, "It's been awhile, 

hasn't it? Over two years..." The graveyard was quiet as I looked away, my hand trailing down the smooth, cold stone, wondering why I was here, talking to myself. I felt the engraving and steeled myself as I read the plaque. 

_Tony Samuel Lincoln_

_1965-1983_

_Life is all too short._

A week after we ran, they had found him in a ditch, stabbed to death and left to rot, "Tony... I'm doing all I can to make sure your death wasn't meaningless... I did what I could to protect the others, and I really hope they're even alive... I'm up against a fucking demon, Tony... What if I'm not strong enough?" I felt the air stir as the sun beat down on my neck, "Sorry... I'm doing it again... letting myself fall apart..."

"_**You are very much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Mike.**_" A dark, gravelly voice stated from behind me, I turned to see Nightmare standing in my shadow, something I've learned he appears from, now, "_**You fall into doubt now... but it melts away when there is something on the line.**_" 

"I don't feel strong." I turned my gaze back to the grave. 

"_**That doesn't mean it's not there.**_" He gave an odd noise, "_**He will be avenged.**_" 

"I created you." The events of the past few days went through my mind, ending that morning, on the couch, after we had escaped the last night at Circus Baby's Funtime Rentals, "You explained that the torment was because I wanted to be punished... What changed?" 

"_**You learned the truth... then everything you wanted... changed... that as long as Gabriel could forgive you... you could forgive yourself.**_" 

I nodded, looking to the grave, "The demon, the first encounter." I said, "You were very afraid for me, but you didn't hesitate for Nate... Does that mean..." 

"_**That's a complicated answer. An answer you have to find yourself.**_" Suddenly, he was gone, leaving me alone with the dead... and my own thoughts. 

"I think I should go... I'll try to visit again soon." I rose to my feet, grabbing my bag from the tree I leaned it against. With a deep breath, I returned to my truck, and closed the door as I slipped inside. Nightmare's words scratching at the back of my mind as instinctively put a hand on my calf, remembering the sheer pain I endured that night. 

It was still so hard to imagine myself as strong. 

I drove, trying to ignore the aches that came from seeing so many familiar buildings as I headed to the edge of town. Hurricane hadn't changed in two years, the desert, the mountains, the oasis of grass and trees within. It was hard to see it all again as I passed the old faded sign. Circus Baby's Pizza World hadn't changed in the last two years either, and I was thankful it hadn't collapsed. 

I watched the weathered door open as I parked, and Nathaniel walked out, "It's not as bad as I thought, It's definitely old, it's not really been kept up with... but this place shut down when it was brand new, so things are still held together really well." 

I slipped out of the truck, "Less work for me, at least." I said, "I don't know how long we'll be in town, but at least we have this place till then." 

"_**Mikey!**_" I found a small golden fluffball running out and clinging to my leg, "_**You're back! I was worried when you said you wanted to go alone...**_" 

"I'm okay, Gabe." I said, "I needed to do that myself. He died because of me, and that's something I can't change. He deserved better..." 

"_**Please, don't say that... The demon is the one who killed him....**_" I felt the hug go tighter, and I relented. I picked the small golden bear up. 

"... My brain knows... but my heart still doesn't understand." I said, "I can't force myself to accept it wasn't my fault... We were all played in some horrible way, but I'm still here... and I'm trying to fix what I can."

"_**I know. You're doing everything you can... and you keep getting hurt because of it.**_" He looked away, "_**It just feels like this is just going to keep leading us down to more pain...**_" 

"... We can't let him get away with what he did, nor what he will do." I said. 

"What matters right now, is that we need to get set up inside for the night." Nathaniel said, "It will get dark eventually, and I think we would all prefer to have light." 

I thought back to the facility, and to the darkness I was met with, "Right... I'll grab the air mattress, and hopefully I can get the power working." 

It was going to be a long day. 

  


"How's it going?" Fredrick asked as I pulled a fuse box open, flashlight in one hand. The basement smelled of dust, but thankfully of nothing else. It was almost eerie, after being trapped underground every night, though. 

"I'm trying to see if the power is fully disconnected from the powerlines, or if it's just shut off." I flipped the switches before flipping on the main fuse. The second it was flipped I watched as the basement light flicker on, "Thank fuck..." 

"It worked!" Fredrick cheered, his happiness drawing a smile on my face as I took stock, now that it was easier to see. The building certainly had been abandoned fairly early. All perishables, thankfully, had been removed with the closing of the store. Majority of the appliances, merchandise, and equipment had been left behind, probably due to shipping costs. 

"Thankfully it worked, now to clean this place up a bit. We still have a long way to go. I'll see if the Janitor's closet still has supplies." I said, "Go get the others together and see if you can clear a space to set up residence. I think there's a party room that would make a decent bedroom for now."

"Roger!" He gave a silly salute and trotted off up the stairs. I laughed as I watched him trot off. 

_ **He's a good one, you know.** _

"I know." I shook my head as the events of the past week drifted in the back of my mind as I walked up the stairs. Night was steadily approaching, and I had to take a deep breath. I didn't know what Nightmare had planned, and yet I couldn't help but trust him, now. I rubbed the scars on my arms. 

"Dad?" I looked up, to see Helpy standing at the doorway at the top of the stairs, "Are you okay? You're rubbing your arms." 

"It's fine, kiddo." I said as I swooped the little robot up as I stepped off the stairs. Over the last few days, I could tell something was happening to Helpy. I didn't understand it, but he had no need to charge his batteries, yet he still needed sleep. It didn't make a lot of sense, but as far as I could see, he was okay, "Who's my little helper?" I smiled. 

"Me!" He cheered as I lifted him over my head as we laughed, "I'm glad... that you're happier, daddy." 

"I had a lot of help, Kiddo." 

"Did I help?" I felt the hope in him, in his voice, and his eyes... I felt the happiest tears of my life fall. 

"More than you could ever know..." It was almost a whisper, almost unsaid as I hugged him. My life had changed so much over the past few years, hell in the past few days. I owed everything to Goldie, to Nightmare, to Helpy, and the others. They gave me a reason to push past everything. 

"Dad... you're crying." 

"They're happy tears, Helpy... They're not sad ones. I love you..." 

"I love you too, dad." I felt his tiny little hand touch my face as he hugged back. 

_ **I think that Parenthood is a good look for you.** _

I honestly couldn't agree more. 

  


The Party Room had been cleared out for a decent living space, even if the walls were starting to curl, and there was not a single window. To be honest, I didn't expect to be here for more than a day or two, but I couldn't trust that. I sat down on the air mattress, trying to get my mind straight. It had finally hit me, I was a father... and it was the best feeling in the world. 

"You seem to be in a good mood." Nate said as he inspected the revolver in his hands. Even without bullets, he wanted to keep it. It was his, after all. 

"I'm a father, Nate. I just... I don't know. I never thought this would happen... I honestly expected to be dead by now." 

"You never expected to be a father?" he asked.

"Not really. With how things are, I would never be allowed to adopt." 

"Wait, hold up, adopt?" His voice was surprised, "no wife? No girlfriend?" 

I felt my chest tighten, "Not really... I'll be honest... I'm not attracted to women." 

"Oh." He made a noise, "We have that in common, then." He shook his head, "Maybe why I mesh well with Funtime Foxy. A flamboyant fox, and a gay detective."

"Did you... have anyone when you died?" I asked. 

"No, thankfully... I lost my parents early on, and I never really let myself get into relationships with anyone. I all but married my job." 

"I'm... sorry. That you didn't have anyone. That must have been so lonely." 

"Stop apologizing for things you've never even done, Mike." He frowned, "I isolated myself, and yes, I was alone, but there was no one to cry when I didn't come home, and I'm thankful for that! I didn't destroy someone's entire world with my death." 

"You still died!" I didn't understand, "Your life was still ruined because of my father, even if he wasn't the one who killed you!" 

"yes, it was." He said, "And now I have a new life I have to live." He gave a flourish of his hand, "I have no regrets for the man I was, Michael. This is me now, and I accept that." 

"I'm still at that road... accepting myself." I said, "I was a horrible person for years, from a combination of a lot of things in my life. My father had gone off the deep end. The man who raised me, showed me how to tinker, was gone, replaced with that... thing, and to top it all off, even with the abuse, I had to hide who I was. You hear plenty of horror stories about people like us. The hate, the attacks, and in the last few years, there is that disease, AIDS. Of course I broke under all of that... and I regret it." 

"_**I always knew it was never really you.**_" I fell off the bed as I choked in surprise as Goldie walked out from nowhere, "_**I still remember the days... where you were happy.**_" 

"Gabe. I never really wanted to hurt you..."

"_**I know... and now I know the one who was hurting the most... was you." he hoped onto the air mattress, "_**You are still the Mikey I used to look up to, you know. You just hid away, because you were afraid and hurt.**_"**_

"I should have faced my problems... instead of letting it consume me. I was a coward." 

"_**Mikey, You are not a coward... in the last two years you threw yourself to protect people. To protect people who you didn't even know! Even at the expense of your own life.**_" 

"Fredrick, Bon-Bon and I owe you our lives, Michael." Nate said, "You came down that damned elevator, and you came into our lives. You didn't need to save us, but you did. That's the person you are." 

"I..." A finger pressed to my lips. 

"No. You don't get to deflect this one." He said, "Now, get your bag together, it's getting late." 

"... Right." I grabbed my messenger bag from the corner and slipped it on. 

"Now..." Nate grabbed the door and opened, it, as three figures tumbled to the floor. I honestly had no words as Fredrick, Helpy, and Bon-Bon all seemed to become embarrassed and sheepish.

"I... I'm sorry, Dad! I heard you yelling!" Helpy said. 

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay!" Bon-Bon said. 

"...I..." Fredrick seemed to hesitate, "I... was listening since the beginning." he said, looking away, "I'm sorry, I was coming to check in on you, and I overheard you talking about everything, and I didn't want to impose." 

"Fredrick... It's okay." I gave a small laugh, "It hasn't been a secret to me for 2 years. I stopped pretending to be someone I'm not."

"Still... I shouldn't have been sneaking." He made a small, embarrassed noise, "I'm happy for you, though." 

"And I'm thankful for all of you... still... we need to get into the car. We have somewhere to be, tonight." I honestly was happy that everyone cared so much, "Time to see what Nightmare wants me to see, here." 

"_**Well then, it's time to go home.**_" Goldie said. 

  


Staring at a house I left in flames two years ago... it was honestly unsettling. The single story building was now a shell, burned away and left a crumbling ruin. A memorial had been set up outside the house, a wreath with pictures of Elizabeth, Gabriel, and I on it's cover. I wondered why, since that I was still alive. I walked into the crumbling doorway, Flashlight in hand. 

"It's creepy, how this place is still standing." I said, "I'm surprised it wasn't torn down and renovated." 

"Mike? What exactly are we doing here?" Fredrick asked, "I know you used to live here, but why did Nightmare want to come here of all places." 

"I think we should ask him that, don't you think?" I asked as I turned around to face the dark figure himself, only for him to move out of the way of the flashlight. 

"_**Please keep that light away from me, Michael.**_" Nightmare said. 

"... Wait, the torch? You're just fine in the sun, though?" I asked, looking at the flashlight in my hand.

"_**I am aware, yet that is something I cannot change. A flashlight burns my form.**_" He said. 

"I will try my best not to aim the light directly at you." I said. 

"_**Good.**_" 

"Can you tell us why we are here?" 

"_**Wait for it.**_" He said. 

"Wait for what?" 

"_**Midnight.**_" A familiar sound rang throughout the burned out skeleton of the house. I felt my feet move on their own as I ran. The ringing of the grandfather clock sending horror into my spine as I turned the corner...

It was sitting there, unburned, a small circular space of floor was also left untouched by the ruin... "How?" I walked up to the clock. It had been the greatest project I helped Dad with, before everything. I put my hand on the clock face. the glass was warm beneath my hand, "It's still here..." 

"Mike?!" I heard Fredrick call as they turned the corner, and I pointed the light towards them, "You ran ahead of us!" 

"_**It's still here?**_" Goldie asked as I turned the light back to the clock. 

"...Yeah... it still is." I said, running a hand down the rich mahogany wood, "It took us a full year to make this, you know?" My hand went over the glass, watching the pendulum swing, "I messed it up a few times, but eventually I got it to work." 

"We came here for a clock?" Nate asked, stepping closer towards it as Fredrick placed a hand on my shoulder. 

"_**No.**_" Nightmare said, slipping out from the shadows, "_**It is time.**_" I watched his hand reach for the clock, to the handle as he slid open the door to the Pendulum, "_**Stop the clock, Michael.**_" 

"I..." I took a deep breath, "I'm ready." I reached in and interrupted the swing of the Pendulum at the Lyre. "There... it's-" 

_CLICK_

"What was that?" I asked. Then I heard it. Faint notes as a music box started up. I could only barely make it out the tune of what could only be... Dad's favorite song, 'My Grandfather's Clock'.

"_**Ninety Years without slumbering.**_" Nightmare began as I felt something shift under the floor. 

_Tick, tock, tick tock_

"_**His life seconds numbering.**_" 

_Tick, tock, tick tock_

"_**It stopped... short... Never to go again...**_" 

"As the old man died..." I finished. 

_CLICK_

I watched in surprised as I finally noticed something that had been bugging me... the semicircle of unburned wood... the edge... the curve was too perfect. It began to sink down, revealing the foundation of the house underneath. 

"What on earth..." We descended into the darkness.

"_**I was not born that day in 1983, Michael.**_" Nightmare said. 

"... Nightmare?" I asked. 

"_**Where did it all start Michael?**_" Nightmare asked, "_**When did he change?**_" 

"5 years ago..." That same year Elizabeth died, and lead down into the spiral of hate. 

The platform stopped finally stopped as I turned around, to be greeted at a small hallway with a single door at the end. The door was made of solid wood, hard to make out the specific type. A single golden doorknob gleamed off the light from my flashlight. 

"This is fucking creepy... Why did we have a hidden basement?" I asked as I stepped forward, I knew every inch of my body was shaking as I approached. The door was made of a dark wood, similar to the clock itself, and seemed to be free of dust, burns, and rot. My heart was pounding it's way from my chest as the door almost seemed familiar... Something was screaming in the back of my mind to not open the door as I placed a shaky hand on the doorknob. 

"_**Are you ready for my game, Michael?**_" I felt his claw slide on my face. 

"I'm ready." I gripped the doorknob and turned it. There was a soft click as I opened the door. 

"_**Then let us begin...**_" I felt his claw grab my arm as I was pulled into the pitch black doorway. 

"MIKE!" The door slammed shut behind me. 

"Nightmare! What the fuck?!" I turned around, searching for my flashlight. 

"_**This is how it must be, Michael. Just you... and me... Look at me... with the light.**_"

I found the flashlight and flicked it on. I watched as Nightmare's black form was slowly peeling away, revealing a rotting yellow the longer the light burned on him.... Bow and Hat fading into a dark purple. 

"What do I have to do?" I felt the golden hands rest on my shoulders as Nightmare... No, Nightmare Fredbear leaned towards me.

"_**Don't Drown.**_" And I felt heavy as I suddenly felt weightless, I fell backwards, yet I never felt the ground.

Everything was suddenly cold and dark.

  


_"The Birthday Boy wants a KISS!" I felt my eyes snap open at the sound of my own voice. I saw Gabriel's frail body in my hands, moving on their own as Fredbear's form drew closer, but it was Nightmare Fredbear standing there, singing into a microphone. I couldn't hear what he was singing over the screaming..._

_"NO! Nononononono... PLEASE!" Gabriel cried. I was screaming, yet my body wasn't. I willed my arms to stop, but they wouldn't listen. I felt the panic rising as I desperately tried to stop it... I didn't want to do it a second time!_

_I felt my feet hit the stairs... Please..._

_My arms raised as the mouth parted, razor teeth gleaming._

_I wouldn't let it happen again!_

_"**I won't do it!**" I yelled as I let go of Gabriel and threw myself at Nightmare Fredbear._

_CRUNCH_

_"Are you seriously crying again, Michael?" I was suddenly at the sink, staring at the form of William Afton, blood splattered across his form, purple eyes glowing in the dim morning, "I told you not to cry!" I felt his fist collide as he punched me in the face and gripped my arm. The smell of metal and pizza overwhelming. That bastard! This was after he killed Tony!_

_His grip was iron, yet I felt steel, "**This is your fault!**" I swung, feeling my fist shatter his nose, "**YOU'RE THE REASON THEY'RE ALL DEAD YOU PURPLE BASTARD!**"_

_"Kill your other sibling!" I was outside of the Rental Facility again, and The Purple Man was laughing at me... I felt the tears prick as I once again slammed my fist into his face._

_"**I didn't want to kill anyone! You son of a bitch!**"_

_Once again, I was somewhere else... the breaker room... "There's the birthday boy!" I felt a hand grab my neck as the form of Fredrick came into view, eyes red, "You ready for a surprise!?" I watched in horror as he raised his arm, Bon-Bon sitting there with Helpy in his grip. _

_"**Helpy!**" _

_"Dad!" I reached for him, yet my reach fell short... Damn it Nightmare! I can't choose this! Trying to make me choose between them... I remembered that first night... under the sky._

_"**Fredrick! Do you remember the stars?!**" I yelled, "**Don't hurt him! You don't want to be a monster!**" _

_Even if this wasn't really Helpy... I grabbed him as the hand released my neck, shielding the dream version of my son as I heard Fredrick's voice cracking under the sadness. _

_"I didn't... want to hurt anyone!" He backed away, horror in his voice. _

_"I was beautiful!" I was suddenly slammed into the wall... Ballora was looming over me, "You ruined it!" I looked into her shattered eye... "I'll tear you apart!"_

_I felt something smooth and sharp in my hand... When would this end... Ballora lunged for me, but I shoved the metal shard into her neck, "**I'm sorry... I never wanted this, Ballora...**" I said. _

_"Damn... You..." I felt her fall limp. _

_I jerked as I heard a snarl, turning to see the feral form of Funtime Foxy on his stage. He lunged and I felt a sharp pain stab into my shoulder. He was biting me! I struggled to get him off, "**Nathaniel! Stop it!**" I felt something warm dripping down my arm as I finally pushed him off. I reached towards my face, and touched the plastic on my face._

_"We're just monsters, Michael..." I heard Nate's voice say as I saw the edges of the plastic Foxy head I was wearing. _

_I tugged at the mask, and it felt like it was melted onto my face, "**I'm not a monster! And neither are you!**" I felt something wet leak as I continued to pull, the burning on my face as skin ripped. Nate lunged as I tore the mask off and threw it to the ground. _

_I felt cords wrap around my throat, "YOU RUINED MY FACE!" Ballora cried as the cords started to constrict, "I'LL KILL YOU!" _

_"**I didn't... want to hurt... anyone!**" I gasped_

_"YOU STILL KILLED ME!" _

_"**You... didn't... give me... a choice.**" _

_"I just wanted to be beautiful..." I felt the grip lessen as I watched her form begin to burn up. _

_"**I know...**" I never got to know who possessed Ballora, and the thought made me feel sick, "**I wish things could have turned out for the better... I regret not being able to fix you.**" _

_"I see you've been busy." I raised my head towards Elizabeth, standing outside of the fire, "Michael." I watched the clawed hand shift as she began to walk towards me, "She was mine, Michael." _

_"Lizzy..." It wasn't real... yet I still felt the flicker of heat as Ballora burned, _

_"You killed me too, Michael. Wasn't I your sister?" Elizabeth strolled through the flames._

_"**I made a promise... to a girl who was trapped inside her own head as you willingly killed people... You were no better than The Purple Man...**" _

_"Did I deserve to die, Michael?" I faltered again, as I saw a small shadow in the flames. A small girl wearing a pink blouse and a blue skirt, red bow tucked within her strawberry blond hair. Her large green eyes almost blinding as I saw the greens of my own within. _

_"**No... you didn't...**" I felt the burning of tears as I stared at the form of my dead sister. _

_"You're the last Afton now... isn't it just perfect?" The fire was gone, and all that was left was him... "I get to end your entire Family tree, tonight, Michael." _

_"**But he didn't....**" The body of the false William Afton's grip on the knife faltered as I walked forwards, "**I lived... and he ran...**" _

_"Such a brave little fox..." I grabbed the knife in his hand..._

_Everything felt heavy as I was suddenly on the ground, as Funtime Auditorium was starting to lose focus. _

_"Be brave little fox... It won't hurt for long." The room was dark, candlelight illuminating the small space... Where was this?_

_"**Dad? What... are you... doing?**" The words came unbidden, sluggish... _

_"Shh... it'll be okay little fox." I looked into my father's green eyes as pulled my arm closer towards him, "Just a prick and everything will be perfect." I turned my head as he held up a knife towards my hand._

_"**Dad? Wh... why?**" _

_"Because it's the only way, Kiddo..." Fire burned through my hand as he cut into the palm. Blood leaking into some sort of bowl. The pain seemed to sharpen my senses as I looked around. There was something carved into the floor, but it was hard to make out on the ground..._

_ **He didn't want to die...** _

_Nightmare's voice rang inside my head, sharp and guttural, "**This has... to be a... nightmare... Please... someone... help... me.**" I called._

_"Oh, you are very much awake, little boy." I looked up to see My father's eyes bleeding, the glow of purple burning inside, "I thank you both... for releasing me!" _

_"**I... did what?**" I felt a twitch of pain in my head... What was this? "**Why?**" _

_ **You didn't get a choice.** _

_"Poor boy~" _

_"**What... are you?**"_

_"Me? I'm just a demon... but you? You are the firstborn... Only your blood could summon me~" _

_I looked towards the floor... It was a pentagram..._

_ **Now... you know the truth...** _

_"But you won't remember this, of course~" I felt a needle slide into my neck, "He did everything I asked of him... what fun." _

_It was dark... and cold._

_WHAM_

"Mike!" The sound of the door being slammed made me jerk awake, "Mike, are you okay?!" Sitting up, I saw that candles were lit in the room, the Pentagram was still carved, as if still fresh. Red stains littered the stone bowl in the middle, a curved knife lying beside it. I lifted my hand. At the curve of my palm, almost invisible, was a long scar. I... had never even known it was there.

I heard the wood crack under Fredrick's weight. 

"_**You have won.**_" I looked to my shadow flickering on the wall from the candle, Red eyes burned as Nightmare slipped out of it, "_**Do you understand, now?**_" 

"It was an excuse... To make me come here... to remember! Your game was a lie!" 

"_**Not entirely. You still had to be strong enough... to face your regrets**_."

"You were born here, With the ritual... with my blood." 

"_**Yes... I was. At that moment... all of your fear... all of your wishes... you thought you were in a nightmare... and you called for help... And then you created me.... I am you.**_"

_CRACK_

The door had finally given in as Fredrick tore it open, "Mi- What the..." Fredrick faltered, staring into the room, "I..."

"What... happened here?" Bon-Bon asked, looking around the room.

"Dad!" Suddenly, There was a Helpy clinging to my chest, "You're okay! I was so worried!" 

"Hey... I was never in any danger..." I hugged the small bear, "I'm sorry for scaring you... I needed to do that alone." 

"_**Mikey...**_" I felt Goldie climb on my shirt, "_**This... what is this room?**_"

"This is where Dad summoned him... using me. He drugged me that night, and dragged me down here. He cut open my hand... and then he summoned that purple bastard... and he made sure I forgot that night."

"Fucking hell... He used his own son..." Nate said.

"He was afraid..." I said, "When Gabriel was born, Mom never recovered. She kept getting sick and passed away a year before Dad did this..." I looked away again, "In a way, that was the beginning of this madness. Mom had always been there, even if she wasn't feeling well. She raised us, and I think Dad was lost without her."

"_**I think... we all were. Lizzy became more selfish, and I was always scared.**_" Goldie said.

"And I kept getting more angry..." I said. 

"Mike?" I back to Fredrick, who was kneeling down towards me, "I'm sorry... you should never have had to live like that." 

"_**While we're here... we should visit her.**_" Goldie said. 

"Yeah... we should." I said, picking up my brother, holding him and Helpy close, "We'll do that tomorrow... and head home. We've missed quite a few Mother's days..."

"You look like shit, Mike." Nate said, "You need sleep." 

I was starting feel the adrenaline fade, and he was right, I was suddenly very tired. I let the two go as I stood up, "Yeah... let's go... A little help?" Fredrick helped me get back to the clock. I opened the glass and reset the counterweights, before swinging the pendulum again. 

I heard the music box begin to chime again as the elevator rose. I felt a weight settle in my hand, as I looked to see the ritual dagger sitting in it, the blade was still sharp, even after 5 years. I took a deep breath as I stared at the blade. The blade itself was black, yet the handle felt like bone. 

_ **From your blood he came forth... From the ashes you rose... and from you will he come undone.** _

I just hoped that it would be enough...


	9. Tomorrow Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael knows the truth. It's time to return home, to St. George, Utah... but first Michael needs to visit his mother. What does the future hold? All that Michael knows... is that tomorrow comes eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! took a bit longer than planned to get this out, but here it is! As an important update, I now have a Ko-Fi! if you'd like to support me, please head over to https://ko-fi.com/sleepysij Anything helps, and it makes my life easier to get more chapters and maybe even more stories in general to all of you dear readers. Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 9. I'm going to try my hardest to get more chapters up more regularly from now on, and I hope you all enjoy the ride.

"Hey. Mike? It's time to wake up." 

I grunted as I felt something shaking my shoulder, I cracked an eye open to see Fredrick standing over the bed, "Fredrick?" Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, "What time is it?" 

"About noon. You've been sleeping for 9 hours." 

"You let me sleep in?!" I jerked the sheet off of me, only to be rewarded as pain bloomed in my leg as I shot to my feet, "Shit-" my leg collapsed, and I was on the ground, "...ow."

"Mike! You're still injured! Be more careful!" Fredrick quickly scooped me up, the touch causing goosebumps spread on my skin, setting me back on the mattress, "We let you sleep longer because you needed it." 

"I... Guess I can understand that." I said, looking down at my leg. The wound had mostly sealed, but it sure did fucking hurt still, "I don't think my leg will ever really be the same, to be honest. that dart dug really deep." 

"Right... You can't fix yourself like you can with us." Fredrick sighed, his hand clenching at his side "One more reason we can't ever let that happen again." 

"There will never be a grantee it won't, Fredrick. That's what life is. Anything can happen, and you have to adapt to what does come to pass." I grabbed his hand, and it was oddly warm. Something I've noticed lately with the others, "I know you're afraid for me... but that fear can't dictate your life, Fred." 

"I..." Fredrick's voice cracked, "I can't lose you Mike. I'd be lost without you." 

I gripped his hand tighter, "I can't promise you won't lose me, but I can promise you that I'm doing my best." 

"I'm always afraid... but I want to try to be happy." I watched his eyes drift to the floor.

"Then let's start with something simple." I said, "What is something that would help?"

"... I'd like you to keep calling me Fred... I really liked it when you did." He looked away again, and I blinked as I realized I had called him Fred just a moment ago. 

"Okay then, I'll let every-" 

"No..." Fredrick shook his head, "Only you... I only want you to call me Fred." 

"I..." I was taken aback, "Okay." I didn't know what to make of that, in all honesty. 

"Thank you." He gripped my hand back before breaking away from me, heading towards the door, "I'll let you get dressed." 

"Okay, Fred." He walked out of the room, and I was left looking at the wooden door. I sat back down on the Air Mattress, taking a deep breath. I didn't know what to think as the conversation repeated in my head... He had become extremely protective and attached to me since my first night in that forsaken warehouse. It was almost as if he was-

"_**Mikey! Are you ready yet?!**_" I heard Goldie yell through the door. 

"Coming, Gabe!" I called as I swiftly got dressed, and deflating the mattress. I could think about what ifs another time, especially when I had plenty of things to deal with... 

_ **Hehehe...** _

I ignored the laughing in my head as I began to fold up the air mattress. I didn't know what he found so funny. I shook my head continuing to gather my things. 

"_**Mikey!**_" Goldie yelled from the door. 

"I'm coming! I was folding up the mattress!" I yelled back, laughing despite myself as I opened the door, picking up my brother, "Impatient today aren't you?"

"_**Mom's waiting for us, Mikey.**_" 

"I know. It's been a long time." I said, "If she could, she'd probably be scolding us... I wonder every day what she would think of me if she were still with us. Would she hate me? I... I'm still responsible for you, and I burned Circus Baby's body with Lizzy's soul. Dad's gone, and now I have to stop his body with that thing inside it." 

"_**I don't think she would hate you, Mikey... You were manipulated, you were drugged, cut open to summon a demon by your own father... and you were hurt so badly inside. You are a victim too. Nothing you did can be blamed on you... especially since you're doing your best to right those mistakes.**_" 

"... I'd be lost without you, Gabe." I said, "You keep me stable." 

"Of course! I'm your Light." He puffed out his plushie chest

"My... Light?" The phrase felt... weird.

Goldie froze, "_**Ooops... I didn't mean to say that... Anyways! We should get the stuff into the car!**_"

The phrase was so odd, but I decided not to press the conversation at this time, we were losing daylight... Still, his words made me wonder... if my brother was hiding something from me since he had slipped and said something he didn't mean to. 

"Okay, let's get the others together.

  


The bouquet of Full Bloom Roses shifted in the wind as I placed them against the gravestone, "Hey Mom... it's Michael. A lot has happened in these past 6 years. I did some things I wish I could take back, and I hope you don't hate me." I felt a hand on my shoulder as I decided to face the gravestone.

  


_Ariel Florentine Afton (Nee Schmidt)_

_1934-1979_

_Beloved Mother and Wife._

_The past has passed us By... but tomorrow is another day. Rest in Peace._

  


"So this is her name?" Fredrick asked as I felt him squeeze his hand comfortingly, "Hello Mrs. Schmidt-Afton. My name is Fredrick. Your son saved me from a horrible nightmare of a life. He also saved my brother... and someone I can now call my best friend. He is strong, and I'm happy that he came into my life. I'm a lucky bear, to be honest." 

"Hello... I'm Fredrick's brother." Bon-Bon said, "I'm..." The little bunny went quiet for a moment, "My name is Jake. Mike has done his best for us. He didn't give up, and he was able to free us. I wouldn't have been able to remember my name at this moment if it hadn't been for him either. He's given me a life again, and it won't be an easy life. It'll be hard, with problems and obstacles... but it will be worth it." 

"Bon- No... Hello Jake ." I said, "It's nice to finally meet you properly." I smiled a bit, "I'm glad you remember your name." Fredrick scooped The little bunny into a hug, both giggling and laughing as I turned back to the grave. "Hey Mom... I don't know if it's a surprise for you, but I want you to meet my Son... in every way that matters. This is Helpy... I still need to give him a proper name. He deserves one." 

"...Hello Grandma..." The little bear was quiet, "I'm sorry that I never got to meet you or Grandpa... I love my dad. He's the best. He cares for me and everyone else, and he makes me happy." I picked up the little bear and hugged him, "Dad! You're crushing me!" 

"Sorry... I'm just... Happy." I sniffed, feeling the tears fall.

"Hello Mrs. Schmidt." Nathaniel finally spoke up, "My name is Nathaniel Hawthorne. I'm thankful for your son's actions, he's given me a new life, and I am indebted to him. He's a good kid, even with his flaws and mistakes. Thank you for bringing him into this world."

I felt something in my chest as I saw Goldie move, "_**Hi mom... It's Gabriel...**_" Goldie said as he stepped closer to the gravestone, "_**I'm doing my best too. Mikey is doing better now, and I'm happy for that. We've been through a lot in the past few years. I'll see you again someday, but I have a duty first... I love you, Mom.**_" 

I was quiet as he placed a paw on the cool stone. The conversation from earlier came to mind. My brother had called himself my 'Light'. I didn't understand what that meant, but it felt important. A duty huh? "I love you too... Mom." I trailed my hand on the saying at the bottom of the stone. It was hard to imagine that tomorrow comes some days... yet it did. Each day passed and there it was. I stood up, "We need to start heading home now, Mom... but Tomorrow *is* another day. Another day to do our absolute best to be happy. I understand now... and I will visit more often if I can. I still have things I need to finish..." 

My father's body still needed to be put to rest, Helpy was shifted in my hands, "Dad? What was she like? Grandma?" 

"She was amazing... She loved the world so much... I used to help her garden as a kid, when I wasn't being taught about science and machines with dad... It's been 6 years now without her..." 

"_**Mikey?**_" 

"She was beautiful... She also had green eyes, you know? Her and Dad met before they moved to Utah from Europe. They decided to come here for better opportunities..." I drifted off as I thought about life... before everything went to shit. 

"_**Mikey.**_" I was taken from my thoughts by Goldie, "_**... Look.**_" I turned around to see where the little plush was pointing his arm. I hadn't noticed it before, but it was a second gravestone, next to Mom's.

  


_Gabriel Lucas Afton_

_1977-1983_

_Beloved Son_

_ You will be missed dearly._

  


"_**I had assumed...**_" He started, "_**It made sense... I died, my body was in the hospital... but still... It's weird staring at your own grave.**_"

"We... don't have to be here if you don't want to be, Gabe." I said, "I understand if this is making you feel uncomfortable." 

"_**It's fine. I've come to terms with it, and in a way, I'm happy that I'm still here in some way. We didn't deserve this, but it happened. This... this is not the thing that will destroy me. I'm dead, but I'm still here. I'm here for you, and I will be here for as long as I am able.**_"

"Gabe..." I could still here some sort of sadness in his voice, something that he wasn't saying. 

"_**We need to get home, Mikey. I'm okay, seriously.**_" 

"If you're sure..." We made our way back to the pathway towards the entrance. 

As I stepped on the gravel I heard a sound. It was humming... The tune was so achingly familiar, that I had to turn back towards the graves, because the voice was so familiar it hurt.

I was speechless.

She wore a summer dress... yellow with white lilies, along with a gardening hat, billowing in a wind that I couldn't feel. I took a step closer. Her blond hair moving slowly as she stood, her face held a smile as I stared into her emerald eyes. She moved a lock of blond hair from her angled face as she turned away... and I could see the Gravestone... through her dress. My vision blurred as I felt the tears starting to cascade down my face as I continued to move closer. I heard her hum louder as she began to walk away. 

"_A dream is a wish your heart makes... When you're fast asleep..._"

Her voice made my heart ache... it had been so long as I began to run, ignoring the pain in my leg as I tried to get closer. She didn't react as I tried to catch up to her.

"_In dreams you will lose your heartaches... Whatever you wish for, you keep..._" 

"Mom! Wait!" I tripped, and ignored the protest from my leg as I got back,

"_Have faith in your dreams and someday... Your rainbow will come smiling through..._"

My mouth felt dry as she approached the tree line.

"_No matter how your heart is Grieving... If you keep on Believing..._"

"MOM!" I yelled. 

"_The dream that you wish... will... come... true._" She walked behind a tree, and as I turned it... she was gone... 

"Mom..." That was mom's favorite song... She used to always sing it... when I was little.

"_**She came to show you. I think...**_" Goldie said as he grew closer, "_**She doesn't hate you... She doesn't blame you. She loved us... still loves us... Even afterwards.**_" 

I didn't speak as I let myself drop to the ground, pulling my legs to myself. I just rubbed my face with my arm, trying not to let myself hurt more. It was all too much... A week of horrors, of heartbreak, and revelations... and now I had seen the ghost of my mother. I heard Fredrick approach as he wrapped his arms around me... and I let him. 

"I'm here, Mike. I'm here for as long as you want me. She must have been an amazing woman, and I hate that you're hurting, that you're dealing with all of this..." Fredrick's hand gripped mine, "She loved you a lot. She must have... to come to see you, even now." 

"... Thank you, Fred." I mumbled, "You too, Gabe. I'm just... overwhelmed still... Help me up? I don't know how much I have in me to stand." Fredrick helped me stand, letting me rest an arm around his neck as we walked back. 

"Where'd the bouquet go?" Fredrick asked, I turned to the gravestone as we came back to it, and all that was left was a single full bloom rose. I couldn't help myself but to laugh, "What's so funny?" 

"Mom taught me about flowers, A bouquet of fully bloomed roses means gratitude, which is why I grabbed them, to show her I was grateful." I pointed to the single rose, "And a single one means I love you, or I still love you."

Fredrick picked up the single rose, "I think that means she wanted you to have this one back, then." Fredrick handed me the rose, and I smiled back at his own, "Are you ready? I think it's time to go home."

"Yeah, I'd like that, Fred." I looked back to the grave, I felt... lighter now, "Thank you... for everything, Mom."

I hoped she was right... The dream I wished for... It was for a happier life, with my family, my friends... and maybe...

Well, a man could hope.

  


St. George, Utah. The last few hours had passed without incident as I entered the city I had come to call home these past two years. It was... good to be back. I took a sip from a cola I got when I stopped for lunch, looking out to the desert as I turned towards the mountains in the distance, it was good to be back. 

_ **What do you plan to do, now that you know?** _

"I don't know." I said, "I have a few theories, but I'm still unsure about them. He's not willingly going to step into... Spring Bonnie." There was a car parked in my usual spot as I turned into the Apartment complex. I felt a chill go down my spine as I saw the logo on the back of it. I parked in the spot next to it, quickly getting out of the car, looking to the tarp, "Guys. I need you to wait here. Keep hidden." 

I didn't give them a moment to reply as I all but ran into the building, passing by the empty car. Mrs. Belle was sitting in her chair behind the counter, "Oh! Good afternoon Mr. Schmidt! I'm happy to see you back, I hope your trip went well." 

"That car outside, Mrs. Belle..." 

"Oh? Oh! I know what car you mean. He's been staying here for awhile now, actually... You usually just miss him, since he's always gone off to work."

"Can I have his room number?" 

"Mike... I can't just give you that..."

"He's basically family. Please, Tell me what room Uncle Henry is staying in..." There was a Fazbear Entertainment's sticker on the yellow car, but the sticker had been Fredbear's Diner once upon a time, plus the fact that Henry Emily had been using the same car for nearly 10 years. How could I have completely missed him? I hadn't spoken to him in years...

"Okay, Mr. Schmidt... Room 20" I didn't skip a beat as I made a beeline. Room 20 was a single bedroom suite on the second floor. Why wasn't he at his home with Sam and Mrs. Emily? How had I not noticed that fucking car... why now? Why didn't he try to find me after I disappeared from Hurricane? I shook my head, it didn't matter, I would get my answers soon, hopefully...

"_**Uncle Henry...**_" Goldie whispered from my bag as I found the door, knocking on it. I felt my breath hitch as there was noise behind the door.

"Just a minute!" I found myself fidgeting as I waited what felt like an eternity. I heard the the lock click as the door opened. It was truly him... I stared at an older man, He was wearing jeans and a purple shirt, his boots freshly polished... He had short auburn hair, and brown eyes, "I'm sorry, but I am not taking interview's at this ti-" his voice hitched as he fully realized who he was staring at.

"Hi, Uncle Henry... It's been a long time." I said. 

"Michael?" He went quiet, "It's odd... seeing you after a few years... I almost didn't recognize you." 

"Why are you here?" I couldn't take it anymore, "What's going on?" 

"I'd like to know that myself. How did you even find me?" He asked.

"I've been living here for 2 years, Uncle... and the moment I saw your car I knew you were here. I thought you came here looking for me, actually..." 

"No, I had no idea you even lived in town. You've been missing since the incident, and the fire... As far as I knew, you moved out with your friends I heard." 

The Incident... that was what they were calling it, huh? I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. The demon swept it all under the rug... and no one knew what truely happened that day... in that building. 

"We need to talk, but I have some things I need to do." I said. 

"I figured. How about this, I have to get to the Pizzeria at the moment, but we can talk tonight. What number are you?" 

"I'm in 4, but yeah... That would be best. I guess I'll let you get to work." I looked back the way I came, "I need to go get stuff sorted, I went to visit the Mom's and Gabe's graves yesterday and just got back into town just now."

"I understand, Michael." He said, and I knew he did... now that I know about Charlie...

"But yeah... I'll see you tonight..." I walked away, hearing the door close with a click... my head was swimming as I got to the stairs in a hurry. I had to figure out how to get two large animatronics inside in broad daylight without anyone asking too many questions...

  


Turns out it hadn't been that difficult, Mrs. Belle hadn't been at the counter, probably out to lunch, so I quickly shoved everyone into my apartment. I was glad to see the familiar room and I almost wanted to just fall asleep on the couch. Although it had been a single night, I really was glad to be back. I dropped off my bag on the kitchen counter, before I just gave in to the need to sit on the couch, letting the rays of light from the shades come through. 

"Mike?" Fredrick started, "What happened?" 

"You saw that Fazbear Entertainment car outside? That's my Uncle's Car." I said, "Well... That's what we called him most of our life. He's actually Gabe, Lizzy, and I's Godfather..."

"You mean..." Nate was suddenly very alert, "He's here?" 

"Yeah..." I said, "He's coming over for dinner tonight, and I'm not sure how I'm going to explain everything that happened." 

"Wait... Him?" Fredrick looked over to Nate, and to me, "I think i'm lost here, sorry."

"Do you remember why Nathaniel ended up at the Rental Facility?" I asked, "He was investigating the death of Charlie." 

"Wait... You mean..." I saw the gears turn in his eyes, "Oooh..."

"Mr. Henry Emily, Owner of Fredbears and Freddy Fazbear's Pizzaria." I said, "Father of twins, Charlotte and Samuel Emily, or Charlie and Sammy. When I saw the car, I thought he had come to find me, but it seems he didn't even know I lived here."

"That's... odd that he ends up in the same Apartment complex as you." Nate just shook his head, "Then again, I'm a soul in the body of a robot fox. Maybe fate does exist." 

"Maybe... Anyways, it's been long enough..." I stood from the couch in a burst of energy.

"Mike?" Fredrick asked.

"It's been days, I still need to finish what I started with you, Nate." I said, going into the kitchen.

"Umm... Michael?" Nate was suddenly very nervous as I started pulling out cleaning supplies. 

"Sorry Nate. I have to do it, we're having a guest tonight. Bathroom. I need to find the oil, too." 

Nathaniel gave in and disappeared into my room as I dug under the counter, "Fredrick? Grab my tools from the closet? It's the red bag."

"No prob!" he gave a one handed salute and went to the wall closet as I carried the arm full of cleaning supplies into the room. 

"I'm... still not sure about this, Michael." Nate said.

"Nate... It's okay." I said, "I understand why you're uncomfortable... but you can't leave it like that."

The fox's shoulders just sagged, "...Okay." 

I sat things down on the bathroom counter as I checked everything, "Here you go!" Fredrick had brought in my tool bag and I thanked him as I took it in a hand. I sat it down too, opening it up as I nodded. 

"Umm..." Nate took a step back, "Will... this hurt?" 

"Don't know. I haven't really cleaned you guys while conscious. You're the first, so we'll see. I also need to fix the damage that the demon did to your suit..." I sighed as I started running some water in the sink, letting a rag soak. 

"Wait! Can you even use Water?!" Nathaniel was in full panic mode now, "What if I short circuit? What if I die again?!" 

"Nate?" I asked.

"What if I go into a coma?" He was starting to move towards the door, "No... It's too danger-" I quickly blocked the door and locked it.

"Nate?" I asked.

"What?!" 

"You don't run on electricity." I was honestly completely lost at this point, "I don't know exactly how you run yet, but you definitely do NOT have a battery or a generator inside you. I'm pretty sure that water isn't a problem." 

"...Oh." Nate rubbed his hands together, "I guess I kind of overreacted..." 

"To be honest, I've never seen you like this before. You seemed so collected since I first met you."

"I..." He stuttered.

"You're nervous about seeing Uncle Henry, aren't you?" I sighed, "You're trying to get out of this so you have an excuse not to talk to him." 

"... Fuck." He sighed, "Yeah I'm nervous. I failed him..." 

"Nate. Some really bad things happened. I'm pretty sure he won't hold it against you, hell... You died trying to help him, if anything... You did everything you could." I wrung out the rag, "Now, get your ass in that shower, Nathaniel. The faster we finish this, the faster I can start fixing that body of yours."

  


I grimaced as the last of the red stain washed down the drain of the tub. The last hour was spent opening and cleaning out Nate's body. Thankfully there was very minimal Viscera, and just dried blood. He smelled like lemons and bleach now... and that was okay. I dried off my hands on a towel and stretched. 

"Alright. let's get you dried and we can see if I can fix some stuff." I tossed the towel at him as I plugged in a hair dryer. 

"...Seriously?" He asked, "I'm a grown adult, Michael. Now that I'm blood free I can handle this from here." He swiped the hair dryer from me, "Go check on the others." 

I didn't argue with him, "... Good idea." 

Heading out of the bathroom, I found the others in the living room, "hey guys, what's up?" They were watching a cartoon that I didn't recognize. Something about a family of bears? I shrugged it off, "I'm going to need everyone ready soon. I am going to be seeing if any of you need any maintenance. Nate is my priority at the moment, but I know you and Jake were down there for just as long too, Fred." I said. 

"That's true..." Fredrick said, giving a look to Jake. The little bunny was completely engrossed in the cartoon, and I couldn't help but smile. The little Bon-Bon had been through a lot, and I was happy he had a name now, "I think he likes the cartoon, but I don't mind you taking a look."

"I should probably give you a wash down too, just in case. I'll call you when I've finished with Nate... I need to grab a few more tools now that I've seen the state of his endoskeleton." Fredrick seemed to shuffle a bit in nervousness at the mention of a bath.

"... How bad is he?" 

"He's got a lot of superficial damage, thankfully. Mostly scratches and dents, things like that, but that knife cut pretty deep, and I'm pretty sure there's something up with a few of his joints. I noticed sometimes they get stuck, making him move a bit slower. When we first found him, he was crawling on all fours. That put a lot of stress on his joints, and then there was that point where he got a nasty shock by that... Spiderbab creature." I shuddered at the mental image of the amalgamation of Minireenas and Biddybabs. 

"Good luck then, Mike." 

"Thanks, Fred." I gave him a smile and patted his shoulder as I walked back into the bedroom. The bathroom door was shut, and I heard the sound of the hair dryer. I slid the closet door open as I looked for the remainder of the items I needed. Thankfully I had plenty of remaining hard plastics to repair Nate's plates. I just decided to take the entire container as I set it on my bed. 

I knocked on the bathroom door. The sound of the hair dryer died out, but Nate didn't reply. I waited, and after a minute the door clicked open. 

"Okay... I'm ready." He said. 

"You okay dude?" I asked.

"Yeah... still a bit unsure about all of this, but I'll deal with it. What do you need me to do?"

I grabbed the bag from the bathroom, deciding the room was probably the best place for this, "I'll also need to grab your blueprints, actually..." I said, trailing off as I went for a small safe under the bed. I unlocked it and pulled out the contents. 

"You... actually have blueprints?" 

"Technically, I stole them. From the demon, anyway. I took everything I could before I left Hurricane. I used Fred's to create Helpy, actually." I found what I was looking for, setting it down on the bed as I dug into the bag for a flashlight, "Now... I need you to try and open all of your plates. I need to check your internals for damage first. Let's get the serious stuff out of the way first." 

I watched him struggle for a minute before the plates started to shift, and slowly open. Like all of the other Funtime animatronics, Their endoskeletons consisted of a thicker frame of winded cords around a thin frame, mimicking muscle groups. I took a moment to test the motion of the hands and fingers, noting some stiffness in those too. I planned to oil his joints later, I didn't want to get it on the carpet of the room, so I just opted to leave it for now.

"Alright... I need you to stay still unless I tell you to do something, okay? Neither of us wants me to break something because of that." I opened the bag fully as I reached in for a screwdriver. 

"Please be gentle." He said. 

"No promises." I gave him a playful wink as I began.

  


"There we go!" I cheered as I closed the final plate in Nate's suit, "Now, I'll have to get some paint at another time, I'm sure you don't want to be white and pink forever." I said. 

"Thank you, Mike. I feel a lot better now, actually..." Nate started to stretch his joints out a bit, loosening them up and letting the lubricant oil them, "I still can't believe I was in such bad condition, though." 

"It's fine, it wasn't actually that bad. Just a lot of superficial damage and just a case of negligence. We're strapped on time, or I would have tried to figure out where your remnant core is, though. It has to be imbeded somewhere in your actual endoskeleton skeleton. I still don't fully understand it, and I was hoping seeing it would give some insight." I packed the tools back in the bag. It had to be inside the actual workings of the skeleton, but I didn't want to risk that. 

"I wish I could help you, but I don't know anything about this." He said. 

"I know. I'll figure it out as I go, and I'm going to do my best to stop him from taking more lives." 

"Mike-" Nate was interrupted by a knock on the door. I grabbed a rag I left on the bed and wiped my face as I exited the room.

"Everyone, go to my room for now." I said, "It'll make this easier." I heard shuffling behind me, and the sound of the TV turning off as I opened the apartment door, "Evening, Uncle Henry." 

"Evening Kiddo." He answered as I let him in. He was holding a Pizza box with the Freddy's logo on it, "Grabbed us some pizza for the night, hope you don't mind." 

"I'm fine with that. I'll get the plates." I said, slipping into the kitchen, "I have some soda, if you want any."

"That's fine! It's been a long few weeks, so I don't mind the caffeine." he said. 

I grabbed a few bottles of Cola, and returned to the table, setting the two plates and drinks down, "Yeah, I heard on the news... I just... those poor kids." 

"I have a lot of people wanting answers I can't give them... We can't even find them." He rubbed his eyes, "It's just been a complete shitstorm. That's why I was so defensive earlier when you knocked. I've had plenty of reporters in the last few days alone." 

"Uncle Henry... why are you living here?" I didn't want to dance around it anymore, "What happened?" 

There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to stretch for what felt like a millennia as I waited. His hand was stiff on the bottle of cola, and his brown eyes seemed misty. 

"... I lost everything, Michael." He didn't elaborate as he opened the bottle and drank.

"... I also heard about Charlie." I shook my head.

"She left me, Michael." Henry's words were heavy, "She filed for Divorce... and took Sammy with her..." 

"Auntie Jane just... left?" Jane Emily had been a proud woman once, with her ginger hair and soft blue eyes. She had been a carpenter, always building things, always dressed in jeans, yet she still always found time to be a mother and an aunt.

"She was afraid... I don't blame her, our daughter was fucking dead. I signed the damn paper and she was gone that same day... and I was left in that house alone... I honestly couldn't stand to live there alone." He sighed, "Sorry, I've kind of ruined this reunion." 

"We have a lot to talk about, Uncle Henry... and I don't know how far the rabbit hole goes." I reached for my bag that was still on the table, and pulled out the HelpyUnit. 

"Is that-"

"My father... became obsessed with mortality after my mother passed away. He had also been diagnosed with a... terminal condition. I don't know exaclty if it was cancer or a disease, I never learned of it." I turned on the unit, "Remnant." 

The Helpyunit sprung to life "**Audio Log Accessed: Project Remnant. Please Stand By.**"

"Mike? What are you..."

"_This is William Michael Afton._" The soft, weakened voice of my father sprang to life, stealing the voice from Henry. I watched his eyes shift as the log played.

It was going to be a long night.


End file.
